


Two Can't Play at this Game

by Zillion_thoughts



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Turmoil, F/M, High School AU, Kidge and pidgance are both awesome to me, M/M, Minor Matt Holt/Shiro, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), This is not a threesome btw, i can't decide, i'm in love with two guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-29 20:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12092688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zillion_thoughts/pseuds/Zillion_thoughts
Summary: Lance: Arrogant, cocky, overconfident, but sincere, silly, and caring.Keith: Headstrong, temperamental, standoffish, but soft, protective, and genuine.Katie Holt has skipped two grades, bringing her into the classes of Lance, Hunk, and Keith. As she steadily grows closer to all three, two in particular have made her head pound, and she wonders if one heart can love two boys without the world collapsing into chaos.And maybe she can manage it, as long as both boys don't fall for her. Which has a very unlikely chance of happening.Right?





	1. 1. Worst day ever (?)

Up until now, Katie Holt had decided that the biggest screw up in her life was when she had snuck a bottle of watered-down alcohol into the house, determined to prove to Matt that she wasn’t as insubstantial as she seemed. Two sips later and her stomach was rebelling as though she’d downed the whole bottle.

But waking up late on the first day of junior year? She’d have to account it as the new high scorer for Screw ups Over the Course of Katie Holt’s life. In fact, maybe she’d have to add the whole _day_ to her list.

She blamed her stupid alarm. Last night, despite it being the night before school, she was up until nearly two downloading a couple of new programs on her laptop, and uploaded one into her phone. After that, falling into a heavy slumber interlaced with dreams, no wonder her phone failed to prove effective for awakening her.

She also blamed Matt. _He_ was supposed to drop her before driving to college, so why didn’t _he_ wake her up on time? She only jolted back into the realm of consciousness when her brother jabbed the car horn. _WHAT THE - ? CRAP! He’s already in the car!_

In record time, she threw on some clothes, splashed water on her face, shoved her books and laptop into her bag, and grabbed a bagel from the counter to devour in the car.

“You jerk,” she seethed as she flung herself into the passenger seat. “Mind telling me _why_ _the hell you didn’t wake me up_?!”

“Katie, high school comes with responsibility,” Matt replied as they pulled out of the driveway and took the highway to Katie’s new high school: Esrevinu High.

“Responsibility? Doesn’t being in college also entail you with responsibility, _like making sure your little sister isn’t late for school_?” Katie groused with her golden brown eyes blinking sleepily and her teeth tearing at the soft bagel.

“No, that’s your job,” Matt said. “Besides, I have at least another half hour until I need to be in class. You, however, should have been in school 15 minutes ago.” He turned into the high school’s parking lot, and Katie stared at the building with a feeling of nervousness swirling inside her stomach. The last time she was here was about a year ago, when she was still in middle school and had been kind of scrawny, with flyaway hair and her brother’s old glasses slipping off the bridge of her nose. Every time she was dropped off to get Matt last year, a couple of kids had teased her and called her Pidge. What the heck was a pidge, anyways?

            “The place is empty,” Katie remarked as she heaved her bag out of the car and onto her shoulders.

            “Because everyone’s in class,” Matt answered. “Hurry up, or you’ll be officially marked as tardy. Love you, Katie. Have a good day.”

            Katie watched him pull away, and wished with all her heart that she was going with him to college instead of being stuck at a high school with people that were two years above her. She sighed and walked inside.

            The hallways were silent, and her footsteps echoed as she walked down the linoleum floor. She turned the corner, trying to find Class 209, when she heard a noise behind her.

            “I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late I’m gonna kill you Lance I’m gonna be late _I’m gonna be late I’m gonna be late_!”

            A large guy dashed around the corner, with a panicked expression and a backpack bouncing wildly over his shoulders…….and crashed right into a startled Katie, making them both fall over from the impact.

            The guy rubbed his head, looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of a girl in a green hoodie and jeans sprawled in front of him. “Oh my gosh. I am so, so, so, so, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He scrambled to his feet and offered Katie a hand.

            “It’s okay,” said Katie. “I was just trying to get to class. I woke up late today, and it’s my first time at this high school.”

            “Oh, I can help you find your class,” the guy said. “Name’s Hunk. Been here two years, so I know this place better than I should, mostly thanks to Lance. He’s my best friend. A bit of a wildcard at times, but he’s really a great guy. Anyways. You are…?”

            “Katie.”

            “Nice to meet you, Katie. Are you a freshman?”

            Katie frowned a little. “I should be in freshman year, but…I skipped a couple of grades, so I’m actually a junior.” She braced herself for the teasing, but instead Hunk looked at her in awe. “ _Two_ _grades_? That’s awesome! Hey, then you’re in the same year as me and Lance! What’s your homeroom?”

            “Um, 209.”

            “Same! C’mon, let’s get to class, or else we’re going to labeled truants like Keith.”

            “Who’s -?” Katie started to say, but Hunk tugged her inside the classroom before she could utter another word.

            Twenty three heads swiveled around to stare at the two, including the teacher’s. She glanced down at her attendance list. “Miss Holt and Mr. Garret?”

            “Yeah, that’s….us,” Hunk answered with a quick look at Katie, who nodded in confirmation.

            The teacher sighed. “Because it is the first day, and _only_ because it is the first day, you will not be marked as tardy. However, you cannot be this late again. Have a seat.”

            No sooner had Hunk and Katie sat down then the door burst open and a boy practically strutted inside.

            “Mr. McClain,” the teacher deadpanned.

            “Fashionably late, of course,” Hunk muttered. “I just don’t get why he had to drag _me_ along.”

            “This is Lance?” whispered Katie. Hunk nodded. Katie thought Lance had a hint of arrogance in his mind, as he seemed to move with a swaggering confidence. She also thought he looked familiar….

            “Tardy,” said the teacher as she made a mark in her gradebook.

            “Wha -?” Lance squawked, his chest deflating. “But it’s the first day!”

            “Normally I would let it slide, but I know you, Mr. McClain,” the teacher countered. “Next time, be more alert.”

            Lance slinked over to the seat next to Hunk, and plopped himself into the chair. As the teacher introduced herself as Mrs. Montgomery, Lance whispered to Hunk, “Man, I thought for sure she would – Who’s this?” He’d caught sight of Katie and was leaning around his desk to scrutinize her.

            Katie’s face flushed, not out of embarrassment, but out of anger, because she’d finally realized who Lance was. “Oh, it’s you,” she snapped, and slumped down in her seat.

            “Huh?” said Hunk.

            Katie ignored him. “Does the name _Pidge_ ring a bell?” she scowled.

            Lance grinned. “Oh, yeah! Last year there was this nerdy kid who always came to the school to wait for his brother. I nicknamed him Pidge because he reminded me of a bird with those glasses. Well, technically he looked more like an owl, but that name didn’t work out, so…..hmm. Wait.” Lance caught sight of her angry expression. “Why are you asking? Are you his sister or something?”

            “No, I _am_ Pidge.... I _was_!” Katie said angrily. “What was your problem? Did you have to make me feel worse than I already did? I didn’t like the high school already, and your bullying only made it worse!”

            “Wait…. _you’re_ Pidge? You’re a girl!” Lance lowered his voice. “Are you trans?”

            “No! _You’re_ just too dumb to tell apart genders!”

            She whipped her head away from him, and didn’t listen to any of his garbled protests for the rest of homeroom period.

            When class ended, Katie practically flew out of her seat and stalked down the hallway.

            “She doesn’t seem to be like the Pidge I knew,” Lance muttered to Hunk as the two of them set off to pre-calculus.

            “I think you’re basing it on appearance, Lance,” Hunk said. “…..I also think you owe her an apology.”

            “What for?” said Lance indignantly.

            “For all of last year, plus this morning,” Hunk answered. “Give it a chance. Maybe you two can become friends.”

            “Friends, my foot,” Lance groused as they took their seats in pre-calculus. The two had absolutely nothing in common.....or so he thought.

            The three were only in homeroom and physics together. The only classes Katie had with either of them separately was English with Hunk and US history with Lance.

            English wasn’t bad, mainly because Hunk whispered things like _Lance can be insensitive sometimes_ and _Esrevinu isn’t so bad once you’re used to it_ and _can you join us for lunch_. The last one she grudgingly accepted, because instead of packing a lunch like she usually did, _someone_ had the audacity to wait until 8:10 to remind her that she had school.

            The cafeteria was typical: noisy, crowded, unhygienic, and the food was second-rate. She grabbed a plastic tray and moved through the line, confused as to what she should eat, so instead took a bit of everything, and grabbed a milk carton from the end. _Why can’t these places_ ever _just serve water? We’re not babies._ She scanned the place, looking for Hunk.

            Lance saw who Hunk was waving at. “Why’d you invite _her_ to come sit with us?”

            “Because now you can apologize, make her feel welcome, and we can all be friends,” Hunk said firmly. Lance scowled.

           She spotted him at one of the back tables, along with Lance (of course), and he waved her over. Consciously aware that even the shortest people in this lunch period were at least three inches above her, Katie made her way towards the back. A couple of people bumped into her, but the trouble started when she had almost reached the table and one person elbowed her – hard. As she stumbled and tried to regain her balance, her milk tipped precariously (she’d opened it at the counter to check if it wasn’t covered in scum) and the contents spilled – right into someone’s tray on a table. The milk spread over the contents of the food and dripped into the person’s lap.

            The person eating stopped eating, and gave Katie a death stare. His eyes narrowed, and he slammed his fork onto the table, startling the poor girl even further. _Crap_. “I’m so sorry,” she stammered, looking around for a napkin. “L-let me help…”

            “No,” he snapped. “Leave it, or else you’ll make a bigger mess.”

            Katie should have chosen that moment to leave, but instead something stirred inside her – a mix of exasperation and anger. “No, I won’t,” she snarled. “I’ll help. It was my mess, so I’m responsible for it.”

            Heads were beginning to turn, and the guy got angrier. “ _Leave it_ ,” he growled.

            “ _No_!” said Katie defiantly, and she grabbed a napkin from another person’s tray. Before she could do anything, however, the guy hurdled away from his seat, abandoning his food and flinging drops of milk on the onlookers, and stormed out of the cafeteria, leaving a trail of liquid drips.

            Now everyone was looking at Katie, but teenage minds can’t be occupied by a single subject for a large period of time, and the crowd dispersed, with an occasional whisper thrown in here or there about what they’d just witnessed. Katie quickly hurried over to Hunk and Lance, and slid into the bench opposite them.

            “Whoa!” Katie saw Lance looking at her with unconcealed admiration in his eyes. “Did you see that, Hunk? She fought Keith!”

            “The truant?” said Katie, recalling Hunk’s earlier words.

            “More or less.” Lance shrugged.

            “Keith and Lance have a _little_ rivalry going on – primarily ignited by Lance -”

“Hey!”

“- but not many people cross paths with Keith. I’m mean, we’re pretty much friends with him, but it’s rocky.” Hunk finished. He started poking through Katie’s food, scraping aside substances with his fork. “Don’t eat this, don’t eat that…”

“I didn’t think you’d have the guts to do that. I mean, even I would’ve hightailed it outta there,” Lance continued, still watching Katie.

She glowered. “Must’ve known from last year I had to stand up for myself if I wanted to maintain my dignity.”

Lance sighed. “Look, about that….I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like a loser. I wasn’t purposely trying to ridicule you.”

“He meant it more in a good-natured way,” Hunk supplied. He handed Katie back her lunch tray. “Eat that, and you should be fine.”

Katie glanced at the portion of food Hunk had deemed nutrition-worthy, and focused on Lance, who held out a hand. “You’ve pretty much earned my respect with the milk back there.” He grinned, and suddenly Katie didn’t find it so cocky. “So……truce?”

Katie didn’t realize how… _sincere_ Lance could look when he was apologizing. She looked at his hand warily, then grasped it. “Truce,” she said, and gave an indirect smile. Turning back to her tray, she asked Hunk, “Why can’t I have anything else?”

“ _Well_ ,” Hunk started.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Lance mumbled, and Katie chuckled.

After US history, Katie was scrambling to write down a couple more notes when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Lance watching her intently. “What?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “You, ah, you wouldn’t happen to know the answer to a few of the homework questions the professor assigned, right?”

“Depends. How many is a _few_?”

Lance slumped. “Okay, I might not be too great with history. It’s so _boring_ , and Hunk said he wouldn’t let me copy any of his homework, so….”

“Oh no.” Katie shoved her books into her bag. “I am _not_ letting you copy _anything_.”

“But Pi-Katie, I meant Katie, I really need to pass this class!” Lance pouted at her.

Katie looked at his indigo eyes and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for him. Before she said anything, however, Lance thrust his phone at her. “Here. I’ll swap numbers with you.”

“What?”

“I was hoping we could work on it together, with Hunk’s help…?”

Katie hesitated, before agreeing. “Sure.”

Lance gave her a smaller, genuine smile, and Katie was starting to wonder how many facial expressions this boy went through over the course of a single day. He shared Hunk’s number too, and they agreed to meet the next day after school at a convenient time for tomorrow’s homework.

Because of this incident, her day _almost_ didn’t make it to the list of Screw ups Over the Course of Katie Holt’s life. But the end of the school day had still yet to come, and she had one more incident in store.


	2. Chapter 2. Do(n't) get rides from strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm impressed with how popular this is.  
> I deleted another work of mine, too much hassle.  
> I really want someone to find that hidden word, guys. Please comment. Hint: it's an anagram. If you comment, I will put your suggestion in my story.....!

As Katie waved a goodbye to Hunk and Lance (who kept calling her ‘Pidge’ by accident, until she gave up and told him to call her Pidge from now on), her phone buzzed, and she read a message from Matt.

_I’ll be here until 5. Walk home. You know where the key is. M._

Katie sent him an offensive hand gesture, and he responded with a wink.

“Stupid college, stupid car, stupid that I can’t drive……” she muttered as she trudged along the sidewalk, kicking at the leaves scattered in her path. It wasn’t until she heard a distant dog bark that she looked up and realized she was lost.

“Fantastic.” Katie pulled out her phone and consulted her navigation. The GPS said close to a thirty-minute walk home. Katie groaned and switched directions. After walking for a few minutes, she slowly realized that she was walking in a more reclusive area, no people were in sight, and barely any cars were passing by.

Just as she registered that she shouldn’t be walking down this path, she heard a motorcycle engine behind her. She froze. _Crap_. She began to walk again slowly, then picked up the pace.

“Hey.” The person behind her said.

 _Ignore ignore ignore_. Katie started to jog.

“HEY!”

Katie broke into a run, but apparently her brain had decided to take a break, because logic would’ve told her there was no way she could outrun a _motorcycle_.

Sure enough, the engine became louder and the motorcycle swerved around to halt right in front of her. She skidded to a stop, terrified…..until the guy removed his helmet. “Keith?” _Now_ she was _beyond_ terrified.

“Yeah….I never told you my name,” Keith said slowly, sitting astride the motorcycle, helmet in hand. He was examining her like she was a puzzle, and that scrutiny made her squirm. She swallowed. “Hunk and Lance said it.”

“Of course,” muttered Keith. “That’s not what I wanted to know. What I want to know is what are you doing here? This is a shady place, and I’ve seen plenty of suspicious characters around here.”

Katie folded her arms. “I’m walking home. What are _you_ doing here then?”

Keith didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Do you need a ride home?”

Katie gaped. “I dropped milk on you, yelled at you, and humiliated you in front of everyone. And now you’re offering me a ride home?”

“You didn’t humiliate me, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you in a place like this.”

“So the better option is for me, a young girl, to get on the bike of a guy I don’t know, who’s hanging around said shady place, and trust that he’ll just drop me home?” Katie raised an eyebrow.

Keith looked at her, then a smile flashed across his face. To Katie, it seemed like a chink of sunlight in the stormy look his face always had. “I like the way you think,” he said. He extended his helmet to her. “Here.”

“I thought I made it clear that I wasn’t accepting your offer.”

“It’s for you to wear on the ride,” Keith said. “If I do anything remotely suspicious, you’re welcome to take it off and bash my head.”

Katie cautiously approached him, then snatched the helmet from his hand. She carefully placed it over her head, then whipped it off, as if testing to see whether it was some sort of trap. Keith watched her with interest. “You _really_ don’t trust me, do you,” he said.

Katie let out an angry breath. Her legs were aching, and her shoulders were sore from the book-laden schoolbag. A ride would be much better than a walk. “Fine. But one false move and you’re dead.”

“Okay.” Keith raised his eyes at the small tigress of a girl.

Katie gingerly hoisted herself onto the motorcycle, edging as far back as she could. Keith noticed her discomfort, but instead started the engine. “Where do you live?” he asked. Katie showed him her phone screen, and Keith studied it once before turning away.

“Don’t you need to see the…”

“No, I’ve passed by your house before. I know the way. It’s got the big maple out front, right?”

Katie nodded, and Keith directed the motorcycle away from the curb and onto the road. Katie immediately shrieked. The motion of the vehicle had tugged her backwards, and she’d dug her nails into Keith’s shoulders.

“Sorry!” he called to her. “I forgot to tell you to hold on.”

Katie didn’t reply, just squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the guy in front of her until she felt the engine relax five minutes later. She opened her eyes and realized that they were already in front of her house. She hurriedly disembarked, and almost left Keith without his helmet. That was when she realized something. “How was I supposed to bash your head in if I couldn’t let go of you?”

“Oh…I didn’t consider that.” Keith said in a serious tone. Katie almost smiled.

As she gave his helmet back, he asked, “Oh, by the way, what’s _your_ name?”

“It’s…..Pidge.” said Katie after a moment.

Keith didn’t remark on the peculiar name, just placed his helmet back on his head. “See you around, Pidge,” he said as he drove away.

She watched him drive away (just in case), then fished around for the spare house key and unlocked her door. As she kicked off her shoes and collapsed in her bed, she sighed. First day and already she’d met some very complex characters. Typical of Matt not to mention how ridiculous high school could be. But then again, her troubles were only just emerging.

She was working on her homework when she heard the front door open and Matt called out, “Katie, I’m home.”

Katie didn’t say anything, and Matt called her name again. “Katie?” This time, there was a note of panic in his voice. She didn’t want him calling the police on her when she was sitting in the house, so instead she yelled, “I’m up here, Matt.”

She heard his footsteps, and a second later he opened her door. “Try to answer when I call you, okay?”

“You’re supposed to knock on my door.”

“School sucked then, huh?”

“Yes and no.”

Matt perched on the edge of her bed. “What happened? More teasing?”

“If you must know, I more or less reconciled with the person who provoked me last year, and managed to spill my lunch on someone in the cafeteria.” She purposely left out Lance getting her phone number and Keith dropping her home. She had a feeling Matt wouldn’t exactly be thrilled about this new arrangement.

“Were they the same person?” Matt said, a small smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth.

“No.”

“Did you make any friends?”

“Maybe.”

“Will you stop giving me one-word answers?”

“Depends.”

Matt stood up. “Okay. Well, I’m going to get started on my own homework. Mom and Dad said they’d be back in another hour, and you didn’t have to start dinner because it’s your first day.” He gave her a curious look, then exited the room, and Katie heard him tread down the hallway towards his own room. Right on cue, her phone buzzed.

_Lance: can u help me on 2?_

_Katie: You’re still on 2?_

_Lance: everyone can’t be a genius like u_

_Katie: You don’t even know me yet._

_Katie: Fine. Look on page 33 for 2._

_Lance: that’s not an answer!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want someone to find that hidden word, guys. Please comment. Hint: it's an anagram. If you comment, I will put your suggestion in my story.....!


	3. Author's note

I'm sorry I haven't been posting, I'm on vacation and I didn't bring my laptop with me. I apologize for the inconvenience, when I'm back on Monday I'll post 2 chapters. Do you guys like this, or should I just forget it?


	4. Chapter 3. We're (actually) Friends Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the inactivity, here is the next chapter.  
> I'm still hoping someone will find that anagram.

_Lance: can u help me on 2?_

_Katie: You’re still on 2?_

_Lance: everyone can’t be a genius like u_

_Katie: You don’t even know me yet._

_Katie: Fine. Look on page 33 for 2._

_Lance: that’s not an answer!_

So the afternoon melted away in the same fashion, with Lance asking for help, Hunk interfering and turning it into a three-way conversation, and Katie trying not to give both of them unnecessary help. Through their conversation, she learned that Hunk loved to cook and was pretty decent at engineering, Lance dreamed of being a pilot one day and thought Keith’s hair was the worst atrocity on earth (his words, not hers), and that he and Hunk had been friends since elementary school.

“Katie?” Her mom’s voice made her jump, and she quickly texted the two boys to let them know she had to go.

_Lance: do you want to meet at Altea Café tomorrow?_

_Lance: both of you. we can chill and do homework._

_Hunk: I’m down_

_Katie: Sure. Ttyl_

Katie descended the stairs to find the table already set and the food steaming, letting out delicious aromas. “Mom, I could’ve helped you set the table,” she said.

“It was your first day today. I thought you might want to relax.” _Why is that such a big deal?_ Slowly she took a seat at the table, where Matt and her father were already sitting.

As they were eating, Matt started talking about college, and Katie tuned out, reliving the day’s events in her head, until she heard her mom say her name sharply. “Katie.”

“Hmm?”

“I said, how was school?”

 _You are approaching a narrow ledge. Inch alongside the wall slowly, so you will not trip and fall._ “Oh, school was good,” said Katie, using the most generic response known to plague mankind. “The work’s pretty much up to my level. Nothing to really stress about.”

“Made any friends?”

 _One foot in front of the other, or else you will plunge into the chasm._ “Not yet. It’s only been one day.”

“Well, give it some time. You’re a very likeable person,” her mom smiled. Matt raised his eyebrows and grinned at her from across the table. Katie stuck her tongue out at him when her mother wasn’t looking. He turned to his dad. “So do you want me to invite him over on Friday?”

“Who?” asked Katie, distracted.

“Weren’t you listening? Shiro’s at the same college, and I decided to invite him for dinner,” Matt elaborated.

“Shiro? As in, Takashi Shirogane?” Katie felt her face tinge pink. She and Matt had known Shiro for a long time, and Katie had adored him when she was younger. However, she hadn’t seen him for nearly five years. She wondered if he’d changed over the past few years. Five years had made a difference on her.

“The one and only. So Friday works?”

“He’s welcome anytime,” Samuel Holt said.

Colleen stood up.” Katie, can you help me clear the dishes?”

“Sure, Mom.”

The next day, Matt said he couldn’t drop her. When she asked why, he simply said, “Priorities.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know hanging out with your friends before class was a _priority_.”

“I thought you enjoyed walking.”

“I don’t really feel up to it today.”

“Sorry.”

“Screw you.”

Katie ended up walking, and was both glad and disappointed she didn’t run into Keith and his motorcycle. Glad because she wasn’t sure if she could carry a conversation, and disappointed because she secretly wanted another ride.

She stopped short of the doors and sighed. Another day, another hassle.

“Hey, Pidge!”

Katie turned to find Lance and Hunk near the bicycle racks. She walked over to them, where Lance was squinting at the combination lock, which securely fastened a blue bike to the stand.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Lance forgot his combination,” Hunk explained.

“School’s about to start.”

“Yeah, but I need it for…..something,” Lance mumbled.

“Lance, I told you, it’s not a good idea to see how fast your bike can go around the school _while_ school is in session. It’s karma. This is obviously prohibited, so the lock is stuck.”

“I bet I could figure it out,” Katie offered.

Lance’s head popped up. “Really?”

“Sure, after school,” Katie smirked, and Lance scowled. Hunk sighed in relief. “C’mon, we’re going to be late again.” He tugged his two companions towards the building.

After the second day, Katie realized three things: the school didn’t let people outside for lunch (which sucked), Lance had a habit of flirting with attractive girls (who mainly found him either entertaining or obnoxious), and Keith was in her physics and pre-calculus classes.

After school let up, Lance went right back to his bike dilemma.

“Geez, we have more homework than yesterday,” Hunk remarked to Pidge.

She nodded. “It’s high school.”

“Hey, speaking of which, how old are you?”

“Yeah! I’ve been wondering the same thing!” Lance exclaimed, once again diverting his attention from the bike.

“Oh, I skipped two grades. I was supposed to be a freshman, but I’m a senior instead,” Katie explained.

“Wow, you really are a genius,” Lance said, watching her with the same reverence he had as yesterday. This time Katie blushed out of embarrassment. “Here, let me see your lock,” she said, and he scooted over so that she could crouch down and examine it. She looked at the weathered, rusty lock and frowned. “I’m surprised that it still works,” she muttered.

“Oh, it’s gotten stuck maybe 10 times,” Lance said. “But banging on it usually did the trick.”

Katie smacked the lock. It didn’t budge. “Hunk, do you have a hammer?”

“Wha- I would never carry a _hammer_ to school!” Hunk exclaimed. “I do, however, have a wrench, though I doubt that will -”

Katie snatched the wrench from him and banged it down hard onto the lock, causing Lance to yelp at her aggression. The lock split into two pieces, and fell to the earth in ruins. “Solved,” Katie proclaimed. Then she noticed Lance grimacing at the broken lock. “Sorry….I’ll buy you a new one.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to -”

Hunk’s stomach rumbled, causing the other two to look at him with concern. “Ah, sorry. I get cravings after school. Hard work makes me hungry.”

“Well, Hunk’s stomach is my alarm, which tells us that we need to get to Altea café.” Lance grabbed his bike and started wheeling it towards the sidewalk. Katie and Hunk followed him for half a mile until they happened upon a quaint café. The loopy sign that read _Altea Café_ had a symbol of a lion directly under it.

Lance took a deep breath as they walked through the door. “Ah, I love this smell,” he said. “The mixture of coffee, cake…”

“And mahogany wood,” Hunk finished. At Katie’s quizzical look, he explained, “Have you seen the game cupboard? That’s some pure wood quality right there.”

Lance sauntered up to the counter and casually leaned against it. “Arms off, Lance,” said a woman without looking at him. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, and she had dark skin but brilliant blue eyes, which were currently narrowed in boredom as she shoved Lance’s arm off the counter.

“Hey, Allura. You’re looking gorgeous, as usual,” Lance winked.

“And you’re acting boastful, as usual,” Allura retorted without batting an eyelash.

Undeterred, Lance grinned. “We got a newcomer today!”

That got her attention. “Newcomer?” Allura leaned across the counter to look at Katie, and her facial expression changed. “Hello!” she said brightly, showing a row of gleaming white teeth. “Who are you?”

“Katie….but Lance and Hunk call me Pidge,” Katie replied, shaking the woman’s hand. _And Keith_ , she added silently. “How do you three know each other so well?”

“Oh, these two come here at least every week,” Allura said. “They’re our best customers.”

Hunk’s stomach gave a more pronounced growl. “Sorry,” said Allura abruptly. “May I take your order?”

“This place has everything,” Hunk said to Katie as the three scouted around for a place to sit after ordering. “Food, drinks, couches, games, tables -”

“Keith,” said Lance suddenly.

“Keith?”

Lance pointed at the corner. Keith was hunched over a table, apparently working on homework, with a half-finished tiramisu lounging on a plate next to him.

“Cool, he’s got the best seat in this teashop,” Hunk said. “Let’s join him.”

“What?” asked Katie, appalled.

“Normally I wouldn’t mind, but after what happened yesterday? He ought to apologize to Pidge,” Lance scowled. “In fact, I’m going to make him apologize!”

And with that, he marched to Keith’s corner.

“Wait!” said Katie, but Lance didn’t stop, and she was resigned to tagging along after him.

Keith was studying his paper when a shadow darkened the page. He looked up….and saw Lance towering over him, arms crossed. He raised his eyebrows. “Can I help you?”

“Yes you can, Mullet,” Lance started, and Keith glared at him. “You owe someone an apology.” With that, he dragged Katie out from behind Hunk. Keith looked mildly startled at the sight of her. “Pidge?”

“Her name is Katie, not Pidge,” continued Lance. “She -”

“Can speak for herself, thank you, Lance,” Katie interrupted. She turned to Keith. “You don’t really owe me an apology. I was the one who defiled your food.”

“You already apologized for that, so it’s fine.”

“Keith, do you mind if we sit?” Hunk said quickly, attempting to steer the conversation to a safer zone.

Keith gave Hunk a look. Obviously he treasured his solitude.

“C’mon, man, you’ve got the coziest corner in this place,” Hunk pleaded.

Keith sighed. “Fine. Just try not to bother me. I have homework to finish.”

“Oh, no problem. We’ve also got homework,” Hunk said, sitting in one of the ottomans. Lance plopped his form into the other one, and raised his legs.

“Put your feet on this table and I will kill you,” said Keith, not even bothering to look up. Katie bit back a smile.

“Geez,” muttered Lance, straightening up. He, Hunk, and Katie removed their books and spread them across the spacious table.

“I’m going to be in college by the time I manage to actually understand this stuff,” Lance groused, looking at his paper sullenly. “What the heck is the difference between gravity and inertia, anyways? I can never remember.”

“Inertia’s one of Newton’s laws: an object that’s in motion stays in motion,” Katie supplied. She had thrown herself into her schoolwork with such vigor that she’d nearly finished half of it. Lance craned his neck to peer at her work. “You’re two years _younger_ than us, and yet you managed to finish more than _half_?”

“Age isn’t everything, Lance,” Katie shot at him. Allura arrived with their food, and Hunk began to devour it hungrily. Allura asked them how they were getting along with their homework.

“Pidge is a certified genius,” declared Lance.

Katie smirked. “What does that make you?”

“Hey!”

The other three laughed.

“Okay, I get it. Just laugh at a guy’s pain. You are excellent sympathizers,” Lance mumbled.

“I don’t know, physics isn’t really my thing in the science field,” Katie said once they resumed their work. “I’m more of a tech junkie. Computers, code, programming….”

“Do you know how to download viruses?” Lance asked.

“Oh, no. I know that look. What are you thinking?” Hunk asked nervously.

“Remember what happened the last month of school during final exam study week?” Lance asked.

“You mean how every time the principal tried to make an announcement, Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’ blasted through the P.A. and they couldn’t shut it off? Yeah. I had that song stuck in my head until the middle of summer!” Hunk groaned.

“Sorry,” said Katie.

“Why are _you_ apologizing?”

“Because I transferred the virus into the system,” Katie answered.

“ _You_ did that?” Keith said.

“Hey, I hated Esrevinu, and I didn’t appreciate a couple of its students,” Katie said, looking pointedly at Lance. “So I decided to leave a farewell gift, and I hated that song.”

“Some farewell,” Lance said. “So is there anything you aren’t good at?”

“Talking to people,” Katie replied. She hesitated. “I’m….not so great at making friends.”

“Well, we’re your friends,” Hunk said, patting Katie on the shoulder. “So you haven’t failed there.”

“Yup,” said Lance “I mean, high school’s worse if there’s no one to watch your back. You have support, Pidge.”

“Sure,” said Keith. “Sorry if I haven’t been very…welcoming. I’m not usually a social person.”

“Oh yeah, it’s a natural gift that you have,” said Lance, and Keith scowled at him.

Katie looked around at the three of them and smiled. Maybe Hunk was right. How could she go wrong with her new friends as backup?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for inactivity.


	5. Chapter 4. A(n awkward but not really) walk with Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 4!  
> Thanks for over 20 kudos!

“No.”

“Katie, it’s 10 minutes.”

“ _No_.”

“Katie….”

“I hate the park and you know it.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before placing the bet,” Matt said. “Ten minutes of fresh air won’t pulverize you.”

“The ozone layer has a hole in it.”

“Katie Holt. Mom told you to as well.”

“Fine.” Katie slammed down the lid of her laptop and grabbed her hoodie from the couch. She almost banged the front door, pissed at having to waste 10 perfectly good minutes taking a stroll to the park.

“Stupid outdoors,” she muttered. “Nothing but sunburn, poison oak, and noisy kids. Why do people always favor _nature_ over _science_?”

She yanked the hoodie over her messy hair and continued, muttering things to herself until she arrived at the crowded park. After sitting stiffly on the bench, staring at her phone, for eight minutes, she leapt off the bench and power walked home.

When she was about five houses away, she gazed at the two kids playing in the front yard with their dog, which reminded her of Bae Bae. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the fractured sidewalk slab jutting out until she tripped, scraping her palms and knees (through her jeans).

The two children immediately halted their game and started yelling for their uncle. Katie stood up sheepishly, dusted off her clothes, and inspected her palms. The skin was coated slightly with concrete chalk and tiny beads of blood were forming. _I told Matt going outside was a curse_ , she thought as she hastily wiped her hands on her jeans and started down the sidewalk again.

“Pidge? Pidge, are you okay?”

“ _Lance_?”

The tall, lanky boy was striding towards her. He gestured at the kids behind him. “They said you fell.”

Katie hid her injured palms. “I’m fine.”

Lance looked at her skeptically, then tugged her hands up to his face and inspected them. He gave a low whistle. “Kinky sidewalk.” Still grasping her hands, he studied her. “What are you doing here?”

“I live literally a block away.”

“You do?” A grin spread over Lance’s face. “Cool! We’re neighbors!”

 _Oh brother_. “That’s fantastic. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go home.”

Before Lance could say anything, one of the two kids came up to him and tugged at his arm. “ _Tio_ , I’m hungry.”

“Go inside with your sister, and Mami will give you something to eat.” The little boy nodded, and, along with his sister, ran inside the house, slamming the screen door shut.

Suddenly aware of the fact that they were alone on the sidewalk and Lance was still holding her hands (however battered they may be) Katie pulled them away, turned around, and started walking back home, a blush forming on her face. “Thanks for your….help,” she said, wondering if he had done anything but delay her.

“Wait!” Lance caught up to her and fell in step alongside her. “I’ll…..I’ll walk you home.”

Katie stopped. “What? You don’t need to, really.”

“I want to make sure nothing….nothing hurts you again,” Lance explained, pulling her arm to get her to start walking again.

“It’s a sidewalk, Lance.”

“A dangerous sidewalk.”

“Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth?”

“You’re a damsel in distress…..”

“I am not.”

“……..so you need a knight in shining armor to protect you.”

“I don’t see one.”

“Has anyone told you how harsh you can be?”

Katie clamped her mouth shut and instead tried to focus on her footsteps. This method only made her intensely mindful of the incredible height difference between her and Lance, or how he was leisurely strolling while she was almost power-walking to match his speed. Unfortunately, he noticed it too, and smirked at her as he subtly picked up the pace. Katie scowled. “I will leave you to suffer through all of your homework.”

“Okay, okay, you win, you win, you’re an independent person who will beat me up if I breathe a word of discontent,” Lance repented, holding up his hands.

As they reached Katie’s driveway, she asked one more question. “You’re an uncle?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, running his fingertips up the bark of the large, twisting maple tree planted on the front yard. “I’ve got a big family, and a lot of my siblings are already married.”

“Must be interesting,” Katie mused. “I’ve always been used to it being just Matt and I.”

“I can’t imagine having just one sibling,” Lance said, watching her from the corners of his eyes. He looked at the orange-streaked sky, and strode down the driveway. “I have to get back now. See ya, Pidge.”

“Lance?”

He turned around. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for walking me back……….I really appreciated it,” Katie said.

Lance smiled. “What are friends for? Besides….” He hesitated, then blurted out, “I like spending time with you.” With that, he waved and jogged down the driveway. Katie smiled at his retreating form. _I like spending time with you, too_ , she thought.

The first person she saw when she went inside was Matt, who was reading a book. He glanced up at his sister, who was ten minutes later than she said she would be. “Thought you didn’t like the outdoors.”

“I don’t. My hands were defiled,” Katie retorted, turning on the faucet and running her scraped palms through the cool stream of water.

“Strong word,” Matt commented. “Don’t forget, Shiro’s coming over tomorrow.”

“Yes, I keep hearing about your long-awaited reunion,” Katie teased. “Don’t you see him every day? Or you two can’t bear to be apart for more than two hours?”

“Ha ha,” Matt responded dryly. “But you haven’t heard he’s bringing someone else.”

“Who, his girlfriend? Are you jealous?” Katie smirked, still in a spirited mood since her encounter with Lance.

“ _No_. His brother,” Matt answered.

That caught her attention. “Brother? What brother? He doesn’t have a brother,” Katie frowned.

“He’s not related by blood….”

“So he’s adopted, or what?”

“Yes…..no…..actually, I’m not sure. I’ll ask Shiro when he comes,” Matt replied.

 _Oh, great_. Katie trudged up to her room and started to gather clean clothes so she could take a shower. Now instead of one guest, they had to entertain two. So more hassle, then. She was definitely _not_ looking forward to Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I've typed this much, so now I can't update every morning or whatever it is I do. did. whichever.   
> Hope you like it!


	6. 5. Dinner with A (Couple of) Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter up!  
> I'm so frustrated. Pidgance and Kidge are both awesome, and I can't decide which one I like better.

“I’m not exactly sure what you mean by that,” Lance frowned as he studied his textbook. “If the author says ‘flying like a rock fired from a slingshot’, shouldn’t the answer refer to some type of ammunition?”

“It’s metaphorical, Lance,” Hunk said, taking another chip and swirling it into the nacho cheese blend. “She’s referring to the injustice of the document……or actually, it could also refer to the death of the boy’s dad….oh man, why do all the novels we have to study end up symbolic?”

The two were at Hunk’s place, attempting to decipher their Novel Studies homework on Friday night. Normally, Lance would have talked Hunk into leaving it until Sunday, but their teachers had been particularly ‘”generous” this week and piled up homework until even Lance agreed to starting on Friday would be the wise thing to do.

Lance sighed dramatically and tipped back his chair, tilting his gaze towards the ceiling. “Man, I wish Pidge was here,” he said. “She could have helped out with this stuff. She’s essentially our Hermione.”

“Me too. She didn’t even get to try the nachos cheese I made,” Hunk said. “But she had a guest over for dinner, remember?”

“Yeah, I guess having _Takashi Shirogane_ for dinner is essentially a big deal,” Lance mumbled, more to himself than Hunk. He was still staring at the ceiling.

“Mm-hmm. So for number four, did you…” Hunk trailed off, looking at Lance, who obviously wasn’t paying attention. “Lance? Is something wrong?”

“There’s something off about Pidge,” Lance said, tearing his gaze away from the ceiling and meeting Hunk’s glance.

“Off?”

“There’s the fact that she’s already a junior in Esrevinu even though she should be a freshman, and even now she seems to have a better understanding of this stuff than we do.” Lance frowned. “And how she was a boy, but now she’s a girl -”

“Lance, she was always a girl. You can’t peg every female of our species to be curvy and full of beauty products.”

“-And she’s not really shy either. She’s bold, and fierce, and sarcastic. I can’t figure her out,” Lance said. He rocked his chair back ever so slightly, leaning on two legs.

The edge of Hunk’s mouth lifted into a half-smirk. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got a crush on her.”

“ _What_?” Lance yelped, falling off his chair onto the floor. “I do _not_ have a crush on Pidge!”

“Right. Because only girls like Nyma interest you,” Hunk replied. “And how did that work out?”

Lance grumbled. “For the record, her act was too convincing to have been completely fake. I’m sure she was into me at least a _little_ bit.”

“Whatever you say, bud. I know you value looks above everything else. Which is why a short, geeky girl won’t interest you,” Hunk deadpanned. He knew that wasn’t always the case with Lance, but it happened more often than not. He got up from the table and started to put his books away, resigned to finishing in the morning.

“Hey, I wouldn’t date her even if she was prettier than Allura!” Lance argued indignantly, even though Hunk hadn’t said anything to explicitly contradict him. “She’s – she’s _Pidge_ , for God’s sake!” Hunk was clearly not thinking straight. As if he’d ever have any romantic feelings for his classmate. Friends _always_ stayed in the friend zone. Always.

_Earlier that evening_

Katie pulled back her pale brown locks into a ponytail. Examining her reflection, she wondered if Shiro would recognize her from the last time he’d see her, since she’d been only ten. Did five years change a person beyond recognition, or was she overreacting?

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, however, her mom took one look at her and said, “No.”

“What?”

“Go put on something nicer.”

“Nicer?” Katie gaped. She looked down at her t-shirt and jeans. What was wrong with what she was wearing?

“Katie, we have guests coming over. I’d appreciate it if you wore a dress tonight, or at least something more appropriate.”

“Fine,” Katie mumbled. She doubled back to her bedroom and pulled on a purple blouse, but chose to keep the jeans. Returning downstairs, she asked her mom, “Better?”

“Thank you, honey.”

The two women had just finished setting the table when the doorbell rang. Matthew opened the door, and Katie could hear the distinct murmur of voices talking. She strained her ears to hear them, but to no avail.

The dining room doors opened, and in walked Matt, followed by Shiro. _Wow_ , thought Katie. _Five years_ can _really transform someone_. Shiro was looking much wearier than she’d remembered. His hair had a shock of white penetrating the front bangs, and a pink scar stretching across the bridge of his nose. _And he had a prosthetic arm_. She suddenly felt a little shy.

Shiro had been talking to Matt, but he caught sight of Katie and smiled. “Katie?” Gone was the small, skinny ten-year-old, and in her place was a young woman.

“Hi, Shiro,” Katie grinned tentatively.

“You’ve grown. You look so different now.”

“You’re one to talk.”

Shiro examined his automated arm. “Working with NASA can do this to a person. Well, that and stress.” He held out a hand for her to shake. She looked at his arm, suddenly intrigued. It was a working, mechanized attachment made to function in place of _a human limb_. She’d never actually analyzed something like this up close and personal. If she could just…. _Stop staring, Katie. He wants to shake your hand. This is a dinner arrangement, not a scientific study_. _Now he’s going to think something’s wrong with you._

Just as she was about to grip his hand, another person entered and Katie momentarily forgot about Shiro. “ _Keith_?”

Keith looked equally startled. “Pidge?”

“ _Pidge_?” said Matt and Shiro instantaneously.

Katie ignored them both. “ _You’re_ Shiro’s brother?”

“Wh- yeah…….you’re _Katie Holt_?”

“Back up,” said Shiro. “What exactly is going on?”

Katie could feel Matt’s gaze boring into her back. “Keith and I are in the same classes at Esrevinu.”

“Yeah, and…..Katie lets us call her Pidge,” Keith added. He kept looking at Katie skeptically, as though he couldn’t quite fathom that she was the same Katie Holt that Shiro had told him about.

“Us?” asked Matt.

Now Katie became defensive. “I have other friends at school,” she retorted. “What I want to know is-”

At that moment, her parents walked in to the room and started welcoming Keith and Shiro, so whatever Katie was trying to say was lost in the chatter.

The six of them sat at the table and started to eat. Katie kept her eyes on her plate so no one would talk to her, and made it appear as though she was enormously interested in arranging the pasta on her plate. However, she was conscious of everybody else’s conversation. Matt, Shiro, and her dad were discussing something, and her mom was talking to Keith, who was giving very concise answers. Her own tactic seemed to be working….until someone kicked her. She ignored the gesture and kept eating, until it came again. Harder. She finally tore her gaze away from the plate and glanced up, meeting Matt’s gaze. “ _WHAT_?” she mouthed furiously.

He jerked his head in Keith’s direction. “ _Talk to him_ ,” he mouthed.

“ _No_.”

“ _Mom’s torturing him with her questions_.”

“Katie, what do you think?”

Her mom had asked her a question that she hadn’t heard. Katie scrambled for leverage. “I’m sorry?”

“I _said_ , what do you think about school now?”

“Oh.” Katie was trying not to look at Keith, who was watching her, apparently waiting for an answer as well. There was something about his blue-grey eyes that made her squirm….. “It’s better than it was before, I guess. Y’know, now that I know it a lot better and all.”

“So do you two hang out often?” her mom pressed.

 _Oh, Mom, please….._ “Yeah, along with a couple of other people,” Katie said, knowing that Matt had abandoned his conversation and was listening intently to theirs.

“Who, exactly?” he asked, and Katie started full-out cursing him in her head.

“Lance and Hunk. They….helped show me around the first day, and I’ve done my homework with them a bunch of times,” Katie said, trying to figure out how to give Matt the finger without anyone seeing. She seized onto a different subject. “Mom, how was work today?”

If there was one thing Colleen Holt could not resist talking about, it was her job. “It was ridiculous. You would not _believe_ what…..” and she got lost in her soliloquy. Matt, however, wasn’t giving up. “Katie, help me bring the dishes into the kitchen.”

 _That little_ …. “Sure,” Katie said through gritted teeth. She grabbed a couple of plates and glasses from the table, and followed him. As soon as they were out of earshot, Matt turned to her and asked, “Your friends at school are guys.”

“Yes,” said Katie casually, grabbing a plate and scrubbing it vigorously in the sink. “Is that a problem?”

Matt disregarded this. “So is Keith the one you spilled milk on?”

Katie’s hand slipped, and the plate clattered to the bottom of the sink. However, she tried to play it cool. “Who said he was?”

“You seemed pretty startled to see him, plus you poured water for everybody except him at dinner.” Matt explained. “How are you two friends?”

“It’s complicated.”

“So I’m guessing you’re friends with the guy who bullied you last year.”

“As a matter of fact, yes. WE’RE ALL FRIENDS. ARE YOU DONE?” Katie snapped.

Matt sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Katie, I’m only telling you to be careful,” he said. “I’m only telling you to choose your friends wisely. I trust you, but I’m not sure if I trust your friends yet. You never know what kind of trouble people can get you into.” With that, he went back into the dining room. Katie bit her lip. _He’s only trying to look out for me. I guess I was pretty harsh on him…..but I can take care of myself. What kind of trouble would I be stupid enough to get myself into, anyway_?

After dinner, Katie snuck outside for a breath of fresh air. A cool breeze whispered across her face and neck, and teased strands of hair from her ponytail. She glanced down the road in the direction of Lance’s house, and could just barely make it out from the twilight setting.

“Hey. Everybody’s inside.”

Katie jumped, and turned to see Keith watching her from the front porch. “Do you have to keep sneaking up on me like that?”

“I was looking for you, not _sneaking up_ on you.” He stood next to her on the front lawn. The silence grew increasingly awkward, and soon Katie couldn’t stand it anymore. Finally she blurted out, “Sorry my mom was bothering you during dinner.”

“She wasn’t really bothering me. It was fine.” He was silent for a moment, then turned to her and asked, “Why’d you tell me your name was Pidge when I asked you that day?”

Katie stopped, hesitant, then she eventually said, “I guess……I guess I wanted a screen. Something to go by during school, where I don't really feel like myself. I know, it sounds weird because Lance used to tease me and _he_ came up with the nickname, but I got used to it eventually.”

“Or maybe it was because you didn’t want us to know you as Katie _Holt_. You wanted us to see the _real_ you,” Keith interjected. “Not the daughter of Samuel Holt, brilliant pilot. Or the sister of Matthew Holt, studious aviator-in-training. Just a clever tech prodigy, who wants to make friends, and probably sucks at people skills as much as I do.”

Katie stared at him. She’d never heard him speak more than a couple of sentences before that. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I guess that’s what it is.” The mood suddenly seemed too solemn, so she tried to lighten it. “So how do you know Shiro?”

“I live with him. He’s practically like a brother to me. We’re not related, but he’s been there for me ever since my parents died,” Keith said, staring into the distance.

“Oh,” said Katie. “Um…sorry.” _So much for lightening the mood_. “Hey, how come you never smile?” _Oh, crap. That was rude_. She tried to atone. “Too emo?”

“I’m not emo,” Keith argued, folding his arms.

“Oh, yeah, you definitely are,” Katie smirked. “Hey, did you know Lance lives a block away? We could ding-dong ditch his house.”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t know what ding-dong ditching is?” _What rock has this guy been living under? He’s_ definitely _emo_.

“No, and I’m also wondering how Lance got dragged into this conversation,” Keith said.

“I…thought the idea of pranking him….might make you smile. Y’know, ‘cause of your whole rivalry thing….” Katie mumbled. The only time he’d come close to a grin was on the motorcycle, and even then it hadn’t been a full smile.

Keith looked at her. The corners of his mouth started to lift up…..

“What are you guys doing?”

The two turned around abruptly to see Matt standing in the doorway, the porch light casting a long shadow in front of him. He frowned at Katie.

“We were just talking,” said Keith hurriedly, striding back up to the porch just as Shiro came out of the house. “There you are,” he said. “We’ve got to get going. Thanks for inviting us over, Matt, and thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Holt, for having us.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Keith added.

Shiro waved at her. “See you around, Katie.”

“Bye.” Keith also halfheartedly waved at her before getting into Shiro’s car. Katie watched them drive away, and reflected that maybe the outdoors wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Especially if there was someone to distract her from its negative aspects.

“Katie? Are you coming inside?”

“Hmm?” Katie turned to see her dad motioning for her to come inside. “Uh….yeah,” she said and, with a final glance back, hurried inside the house.

As the two were driving back in the car, Shiro glanced at Keith. “So what’s going on between you and Katie?”

“Wh-What do you mean?” Keith stammered. “Nothing. We’re friends.”

“That’s why you spent close to ten minutes alone with her outside?” Shiro gave Keith a look. “I covered for you, you know.”

“It wasn’t like that. She just wanted to talk,” Keith argued.

“Talk, huh?” Shiro eased the black car into the cul-de-sac that guarded their driveway. He opened the car door and regarded the younger man. “Must be a pretty special girl if she could get you to hold a conversation for more than five minutes.” With that, he started towards the house, and Keith leaned back in his seat. Special girl? Pidge? Maybe. She was definitely more unique than any girl he’d ever met….which only fascinated him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still holding out hope for the anagram, or rather, enordnilap (look it up). please? anyone?


	7. 6. Accident(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so no real emotional turmoil yet. that comes when crushes are realized.  
> I luv elephant toothpaste, it's supposed to be really cool, but my first try was a flop  
> Swear warning

“Hunk, there’s literally nothing left on this tray,” Katie grumbled. The big guy held up his hands in defeat. “Sorry, Pidge. You usually bring a good lunch with you, but today, of all days….”

“I left it at home,” Katie sighed. She’d been so distracted that she’d forgotten her lunch on the kitchen counter, and by the time she’d remembered, every other family member had already been situated at their occupation sites, so no one could drop it off for her.

She low-key blamed it on the two boys sitting across from her and Hunk, currently engaged in an arm-wrestling match. Lance and Keith had plagued her thoughts so much, she didn’t even know _why_ she was thinking about them. _Maybe it’s because I keep encountering them at the worst of times_. “Hunk, how long does it take for this to last?”

Hunk looked at the two arms shaking with effort. “Usually Keith wins, but Lance isn’t a quitter,” he whispered to her, as they watched the two struggle.

“Give it up, Mullet! I’m undefeated!”

“Since when have you actually ever won?”

Katie furrowed her brow, her mind working furiously. Then she smiled mischievously. “I know how to make one of them lose,” she muttered to Hunk. She got up from the bench and walked around the table towards Keith, who didn’t notice her, since he was so intent on slamming Lance’s arm onto the table. She leaned down and whispered, “Hey, emo” in his ear, and straightened up – but not before she caught a pleasing whiff of his hair, which reminded her of strawberries…. _wait, what?!_

It worked. Keith, distracted, whipped his head around and jumped at the sight of Katie standing extremely close to him, while at the same time Lance banged his arm onto the table. “YES!!” he yelled, leaping out of his chair. “I told you so! Lancey Lance takes all!”

“Lancey Lance?” Katie said, snatching at a topic to distract her from Keith’s hair – _STARE. I MEANT STARE_. _What’s wrong with me?_

Lance looked at her and abruptly realized the proximity between Keith and Katie. Suddenly his victory seemed shallow, and he wilted a little at Katie’s comment. “It’s…..my nieces…..never mind,” he said dejectedly. “I guess it’s stupid.”

_Nice going, Katie. Again with the insensitivity_. “It’s not stupid!” Katie said rapidly. “It’s okay. It’s cool. In fact, it’s kinda…..cute.”

“Cute?” Lance looked at her. _Oh crap. I said that out loud_. She could feel the blood rushing to her face, and though she didn’t see it, Lance’s ears reddened.

“I – uh -”

“Okay!” Hunk interrupted, sensing tension. “Are you going to eat your food, Pidge?”

“Yeah,” said Katie gratefully, hurrying back to her seat. “I mean, maybe. Even this doesn’t look too appetizing.” As the two went back to discussing food, Lance and Keith finished theirs, each deep in thought about the small green hoodie-wearing girl in front of them. Not that Katie was focused either. For some reason, she couldn’t completely give her full attention to Hunk throughout the rest of lunch.  

Ten minutes into physics, the teacher still hadn’t come in, and the class had grown entirely restless. Of course, it was Wednesday, which meant Lab, which meant the longer they procrastinated, the shorter the experiment would be. Lance scuffed his sneakered toes on the linoleum, then glanced over at Keith, who happened to be his lab partner. He was staring at his textbook. Lance nudged him. “Hey, thought you wouldn’t show up today.”

“Excuse me?” Keith looked at him.

“Y’know, ‘cause Professor Darby yelled at you last physics class, and you yelled back. I just figured whenever you’re upset, you skip out on class.”

“I have to keep up good grades.”

“Shiro forced you into it.”

“ _No_.”

“Deny it all you want, buddy.”

Keith scowled and turned back to his book, deliberately ignoring Lance. Bored, Lance looked around for someone else to annoy. His eyes fell upon the elfin girl sitting in front of him. He tapped her on the head with his pencil. Not even bothering to turn, Katie instead tilted her head back and ogled at Lance upside-down. “What?”

Lance stared at her. She is beauty, she is grace, she will punch me in the face…..whoa, WHAT?! Shaking his head, momentarily addled, he started to say something, but at that moment, a man rushed into the classroom and banged his briefcase on the desk. “Sorry I’m late!” he cried. “Professor Darby couldn’t come today, so I’m your substitute. You may call me Professor Coran.”

“Alright!” said Lance quietly. “Coran’s the best!”

“What, he lets you slack off in class?” Katie asked.

“Nah, he’s just a really cool guy,” Lance replied. “He know us….”

“Which means he’ll go easy on you when you screw up?”

“Not exactly – hey, what do you mean ‘when’-”

“Okay!” said Coran brightly. “So today, we’ll be backtracking a bit off topic and indulging in an exciting chemistry experiment. It’s one of my favorites – elephant toothpaste!”

“Did he just say -” Katie started to ask.

“Yep,” confirmed Hunk.

As Coran turned to the board and flashed the instructions and procedure on the screen using a projector, the class started to take out the necessary materials and safety equipment. As Lance grabbed a beaker and hydrogen peroxide, Hunk turned around and said, “Please, Lance, I’m begging you, try not to get us in trouble this time?”

“What? What does he do?” Katie asked.

“Hey, I’ve never gotten you into serious trouble before,” Lance complained.

“Oh yeah? Last year you burnt a _hole_ into the table, and you and Hunk got three days’ worth of detention,” Keith said.

“One time.”

“Or the year before that, when you took the dead -”

“Okay, okay, I get it. No messing around.” Lance grumbled. “But it’s science! What’s the point if you’re not messing around?”

Katie turned all the way around in her chair to glower at him. “ _What’s the point_? I’ll tell you what the frickin’ point is -”

“Alright, Pidge, focus.” Hunk grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face the table. Katie didn’t say anything after that, only yanked her hood over her head, but she was mumbling under her breath about science and appreciation and Lance, only stopping when Hunk asked her questions.

Meanwhile, Lance and Keith were arguing throughout the whole process about the quantity of each ingredient. Finally, they had the procedure done all the way until adding the catalyst. Keith poured three drops of the sodium iodide in….but nothing happened. Lance looked around. Everybody else had mastered the experiment, some looking intrigued, others slightly bored. “This never fails to fascinate me,” he heard Hunk say in front of him.

Lance sighed. “You’re putting too little in!” he snapped at Keith.

“The instructions say three drops!” Keith snapped back.

“Well obviously, the instructions are wrong,” Lane declared, grabbing the bottle from Keith.

“Fine,” Keith frowned. “I think you have a point anyways…..nothing’s happening……pour it all in.”

Three things happened at once. Lance dumped the solution in completely, it shot up so fast that he and Keith flung their chairs backwards, accidentally knocking the beaker forwards, and the flask tipped. Luckily the climatic part of the experiment was over, but the remaining steamy contents fell _right on top of the person in front of them_ , instead of on the table.

Namely, Katie.

“Sh*t,” Lance whispered, horrorstruck. He and Keith watched Katie with unspeakable terror. Luckily her hoodie was pulled up and she had the safety goggles on, so that took the brunt of the explosion. But that didn’t help her current dilemma just then…..or her alarm.

Katie shrieked and leapt to her feet. Instinctively, she clutched at her head, then yanked her gloved hands away, gasping at the temperature. Mortified, she stuttered a lame excuse and dashed out of the room. After a moment, Hunk followed her.

"Oh, dear," muttered Coran, concernedly watching Hunk chase after Katie. "I'd better go and check on her."

The whole class stared at Lance and Keith, and students started to whisper. Coran, however, attempted to halt the flow of rumors, “Alright, class dismissed….except for you two,” he said, pointing at Lance and Keith. “You’re going to stay here and clean the room.”

The students filed out, still whispering and pointing. Coran watched them go before leaving to find Katie. He left Keith and Lance there to tidy and organize the room. “I’m going to have to speak to the principal, boys,” he said apologetically. “I’ll tell her it was an accident, but unfortunately you didn’t follow my instructions well enough. Why on earth did you use an extra-large flask?” With that, he closed the door, leaving the two to their own resources.

Keith grabbed a mop from the back closet, and started to scrub at the floor, which was already turning a disagreeable shade of yellow. He looked at Lance, who was slumped across the tabletop, head in hands. “Are you helping me or not? This mess was your fault.”

“My fault?!” Lance leapt off the table and glared at Keith. “ _You_ were the one who told me to pour it all in! _You_ were the one who took out the extra-large beaker!”

“And you would have listened to me if I’d said don’t pour it in?!” Keith yelled at him. “This _always_ happens! You screw up and then class ends up a mess!”

“At least I’m not pulling an attitude that could get me suspended and disappoint my brother!”

“At least _I_ never bullied Pidge!”

Lance stopped abruptly, then slumped down on the floor, head drooping. He looked like he was about to cry. Keith looked at him for a second, then slid down next to him, disregarding the half-scrubbed foamy mess next to them. The two didn’t say anything for a moment, then…. “Sorry,” they both muttered.

Lance sighed. “I’m…I’m just so _worried_ about Pidge now,” he explained. “I mean, what was in that stuff? It was burning hot! What if she – she got seriously injured?” _And after I said to her that I didn’t want anything to hurt her again_ ….

“Me too,” said Keith. “It was my fault, too, anyway. Maybe we should have just asked her for her help. Then none of this would have happened.”

Lance nodded, then slowly stood up. Keith followed suite. “Do you think we should check if she’s okay?” he asked nervously. “I mean, she probably hates us now.”

“I….don’t know,” Keith replied, looking down.

“Well, your insecurity gives me strength,” Lance said, marching towards the door and pulling Keith along with him.

“What?”

“If we want any hope of staying her friends, the most we can do is make sure she’s all right,” Lance said as they walked down the hallway. The two were almost to the nurse’s office when they ran into Hunk. Lance immediately grabbed his shirt collar. “Hunk! Hunk, buddy, please tell me she’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, Lance, she’s fine,” Hunk said, and the two boys exhaled sighs of relief. “Although I think her hoodie’s ruined, and her hair – whatever strands were sticking out – have to be…cut. But no permanent damage. Also, I am _never_ sitting near you during lab _again_.” Here he folded his arms. At that moment, Coran turned the corner and spotted the three. “Ah, just the boys I was looking for,” he said. “Keith, Lance, your guardians have been contacted, and I’ve softened the blow so that you’ve only been suspended for one day. Hunk, come with me. I need your help with something.” He strode down the hallway, with Hunk in tow. Over his shoulder he called out, “And boys, you’d best get home immediately. I know the day isn’t over, but you’re being sent home as part of the punishment.”

“Yes, sir,” the two said obediently, and with a final glance at each other, went their separate ways. Lance biked home, while Keith rode his motorcycle to his house. When Lance arrived, he smoothed out the details with his mom, who was still quite astonished, but didn’t ground him. Keith, however, faced disappointment from Shiro, which was a hard punishment for him, despite Shiro’s gentle nature.

“I’m going to pay the Holts a visit. Do you want to come too, Keith?” Shiro asked as he slipped on his jacket.

“No. I don’t think Pidge wants to see me right now,” the red-clad person said miserably.

“I don’t think that’s true,” said Shiro, but Keith still refused. He finally left, and Keith decided to go for a ride and clear his head.

Lance was pacing in his room. If he stretched his neck out the window, he could see Pidge’s house, and that only increased the guilt in his stomach. He picked up his phone, staring at the lock screen, until in a burst of audacity he tapped on her number and hit _Call_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANAGRAM, PEEPS. ANAGRAM. WORD SPELLED BACKWARDS.


	8. 7. Attonement (from both Keith and Lance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so.....shippy stuff's happening. ;)  
> Mild swear warning

Katie was sitting in her bed, fiddling with a coding program on her computer. The past hour had been a bit of a blur. After tearing of her hoodie and desperately trying to use it to wipe the iodine out of her hair at the nurse’s office with Hunk’s help, Matt had picked her up and driven her home. They’d attempted to scrub out the stains from the hoodie (which hadn’t worked), and he’d cut her hair until it barely brushed her shoulders, almost as short as it had been last year.

“I’ll say it for you,” Katie had said peevishly. “‘I told you so. You made friends with the wrong people. Now look at the trouble they’ve caused you.’ For your information -”

“I wasn’t going to say that, Katie,” Matt had interjected, circling around her so he could examine his handiwork. “What I was going to tell you, though, was that if your friends didn’t care enough for your well-being to come see you after the incident, then maybe they’re not really your friends.”

Which left Katie feeling worse than she had before.

As she absent-mindedly tugged on a strand of her now short hair, her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she was both surprised and secretly relieved to see Lance’s name flash on screen. She hit _Talk_. “Hey, Lance.”

“Pidge, are you okay? I’m so, so, so, so sorry I did that to you. You were right. I was going to screw up the experiment again, and I did, and now I feel horrible, and I understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore -”

“Lance, Lance! Slow down!” Katie sat up on her bed and shifted her laptop. “I’m…..I’m not mad at you. Okay, well, I’m pissed that you didn’t follow the professor’s rules, and that my hoodie got ruined, but I know it was an accident.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Lance sighed. After a pause, he said, “I think Keith’s also pretty upset. I know it wasn’t really his fault, but he still feels responsible.”

“It wasn’t your fault either,” Katie said. “Okay, now I’m lying to myself -”

Lance huffed.

“-but what bothers me is that you…..you didn’t come see me while I was soaked in iodine and hydrogen peroxide,” Katie said. “I thought for a moment that maybe – maybe you weren’t – that you didn’t -”

“Didn’t care about you?” Lance guessed. “Pidge, of course we care about you. You’re our friend. Coran had ordered us to clean up the mess, and by the time we were done and wanted to see you, Hunk told us you had left.”

“Oh.” Katie smiled broadly, even though she knew Lance couldn’t see her.

“And –” Lance took a deep breath. “And….I want to make it up to you. Do you….do you like gelato?”

“Do I like gelato? Lance, I’m Italian,” Katie said. “Although that does sound stereotypical, but yeah, I like gelato.”

“Really? I never would have guessed……anyways, there’s – there’s this place I take my nieces and nephews to and….and I was wondering if you wanted to maybegrabaconewithme?” Lance said in a rush.

Katie felt a faint blush creep up her cheeks. “Yeah,” she said finally. “I’d – I’d appreciate that.”

“Okay,” Lance said. “When -”

“How about right now?” said Katie, in a surge of bravery. “Is it open?”

“Yeah.” Lance swallowed. “But you should rest –”

“I’m good,” said Katie firmly, as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. “I’ll meet you at your house, okay?”

“Sure.” Lance hung up….and then hit his head. What was wrong with him? Since when did getting gelato with a friend cause him to act all tongue-tied and stupid? He shook his head. Pidge would be here soon, and he had to mentally prepare himself to face her again.

As Pidge slipped on a pale green turtleneck and stuck a headband in her cropped hair, the doorbell rang. _Is that Lance_? She wondered. _I said I’d meet him at his house_.

But it was Shiro. “Katie?” he said. “I came to see if you were feeling okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Katie shrugged. “It was only a small spill, nothing serious. No burns or anything, so that’s good.” She looked past him, then said, “Did Keith come?”

Shiro smiled sadly. “No, I think he wasn’t in the mood for company.”

“Oh,” said the young woman, deflating with disappointment. “Okay.”

“Are you heading out?” Shiro asked, surprised. “My purpose for coming here was to see if you were okay.”

“Oh. Sorry,” Katie said as she maneuvered past him out the door. She turned around and grinned. “You could hang out with Matt. It’d be just the two of you.”

“Wh – Katie -!” Shiro sputtered, but the girl had already bounded down the driveway and started walking towards Lance’s house.

He was already outside, and he was apparently shocked to see her. “Pidge, your hair…”

“Yeah,” said Katie, tugging at it. She smiled humorlessly. “Makes me look like the ‘owl’ nerd from last year, right?”

Lance smirked, feeling a little more at ease. “No, you need the clothing and gear to go along with it. The whole ‘mad scientist’ vibe isn’t there anymore.”

“Mad scientist?”

“I tell it like I see it.”

“Clearly you need glasses then.”

“I’ll borrow yours.”

“They’re my brother’s old ones. He took them back.”

Their small talk continued, until they reached the place, a little more lavish than the humble Altea Café. The setting was typical: bright wall paint, red benches, white tables, and luminescent lightbulbs. The two surveyed the mounted chalkboard menu as they waited in line.

“Oooh, they’ve got tiramisu here,” Katie mused as her eyes strayed to the desert glass on the counter. Lance sighed. “We’re here for _ice cream_ , and you want _tiramisu_?”

Katie gave him a small shove. “Shut up. I’ll order anything I want to with my money.” However, both of them ordered different flavors of gelato. As they waited for their order, her hand tingled where she’d touched Lance’s jacket, and she couldn’t quite shake the feeling….

When they finally started to walk back, it was close to sunset, and Katie was marveling at Lance’s ice cream. “How the _hell_ does someone finish _two_ scoops of ice cream in one setting?”

“Hey, for the record, the dude in front of us got three scoops. And he wasn’t exactly sharing with his kids,” Lance argued. “Besides, I love gelato.”

“You were trying to flirt the counter girl into giving you the ice cream for free,” Katie smirked. “Backfire much?”

“Oh, pshaw,” Lance scoffed. “No one can resist _this_.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. For example, _I_ am resisting the _urge_ to coat you in my ice cream cone if you keep boasting about yourself.”

“Ha ha. Look at me. I’m dying of laughter.”

As they neared Lance’s house, he glanced at the girl next to him, who was examining her sticky hand with some revulsion, and tentatively licking it to see if she could maintain the ice cream taste. “So…” he started, and Katie looked up. “Oh,” she said, realizing they were in front of his home. “Well…thanks. I had a good time.”

Lance gave her that soft, genuine smile, and her stomach gave a little twist. _Was it something I ate? The ice cream_? “Me too,” he said. “But – well- you should still sleep early tonight. Get some rest.”

“Okay, _Mom_ ,” Katie joked, walking down the sidewalk and waving at him. Lance watched her walk away. The dignity she had when going somewhere, the ferocity and sass she often displayed with the three of them, her endless knowledge…..her cute, quirky grin when she was happy about something and the adorable awe when she examined a piece of tech, like yesterday….her hair, which looked better short……..her piercing golden brown eyes…….gosh……….

Wait.

Oh no.

_WHAT._

_THE._

_F*CK_.

Lance grabbed his head as realization crashed her icy waters upon his mind.

 _I’ve got a crush on Pidge_.

Katie was about to open her front door when she heard a noise behind her that sounded suspiciously like…..a motorcycle. She swiveled her head. “Keith? Is that you?” _I’ve got to come up with a better opening line than just saying his name in the form of a question_.

The motorbike slowed, and the driver removed his helmet. “Yeah,” Keith said, glancing at Katie, then looking down at his helmet. “I just came here to….”

“Look for Shiro?”

“No. To apologize.” This time he held her gaze with his stunning blue-grey eyes. His stare strayed to her hair. “It was that bad?”

“No,” said Katie. “Only a few ends were affected, and when Matt cut them off, everything else seemed uneven, so…”

“Ah,” Keith said. Once again, the quiet between them grew awkward. Katie must have been feeling pretty bold, because she said, “I want to go for a drive.”

“A what?” Keith seemed puzzled. “You….want to drive my motorcycle?”

“No, I don’t want a joyride. Well, I mean I do, but…..I want you to _give_ me a ride.” She unfortunately registered the words _after_ they were out of her mouth.

Keith paused, about to decline, then stopped. _She_ _wants such a simple thing, and I’m denying it to her?_ After everything I’ve done today? “Sure,” he said, and held out his helmet once more to her. “I guess it’s the least I can do after ridiculing you in Lab.”

“You didn’t _ridicule_ me,” Katie argued, but she hopped onto the back of the bike again, this time sliding closer to Keith and grabbing his shoulders, not intending to make the same mistake twice. He started the engine, and they were off.

The cool air whipped across Katie’s face, and the wind toyed with the ends of her hair.

“Am I going too fast for you?” Keith yelled at her.

“No!” she hollered back over the roar of the engine. “In fact, you’re going too _slowly_!”

“You want me to speed up?” Keith asked, and Katie could have sworn he had a touch of humor in his voice…. “Brace yourself!”

The motorbike abruptly sped up, and Katie abandoned the shoulders completely and instead wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt Keith stiffen for a moment, before relaxing. “WOO-HOO!” she screamed. She heard Keith laugh, and wished that she could’ve seen his face stretch into the long-awaited smile.

The ride was over far too soon for her liking. Before she knew it, they were back in front of her house, and Shiro’s car was still in the driveway. _Wonder what they’re doing_ , she thought, but at the moment she didn’t particularly care. She beamed at Keith, feeling adrenaline still coursing through her veins. “Thanks for the joyride,” she said.

Keith looked at her, then he grinned. _He actually grinned_. “Anytime,” he said.

“Whaddya know, you can smile,” Katie teased. She gave him a wave before going inside.

Keith watched her petite form until she’d disappeared from sight, then he eased his vehicle back onto the road before Shiro got suspicious. Pidge was pretty incredible. The way she didn’t back down from an argument, the way she used her logic and brains to get somewhere instead of looks (not that she didn’t have any), and how big her eyes got when she tried to achieve something…and her triumphant grin when she succeeded…..and the wierd, electric feeling around his midriff from where her arms had been........

Hang on.

Shiro’s voice suddenly echoed in his head. “ _Must be a pretty special girl…_ ”

Pretty special girl.

Pretty.

Special.

She was both and more.

Uh oh.

…….did he have a crush on Pidge?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMMA GO ON STRIKE IF NO ONE FINDS IT. THE WORD IS IN SEVERAL CHAPTERS. AND IT'S VAGUELY VOLTRON RELATED.  
> (Voltron = Nortlov)


	9. 8. Competition and two completely chill dudes (in love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 50 kudos!!!  
> here's an extra-long one.  
> I didn't realize how much i'd typed.

Lance got to school early on Thursday. He’d texted Hunk a little frantically _(I need to talk 2 u urgently at school tomorrow_ ), and now, after securing his bike to the rack, he paced nervously in front of the main doors, where very few students milled around, some going inside, some talking. His thoughts were whirling around his head. _So much for staying in the friend zone._ _This can’t be right. How did this even happen? It makes no sense. I went from arguing with her that first day – to this_?

**_Flashback_ **

_“Told you it’d be a piece of cake,” Lance bragged as he and Hunk walked outside the building. “See, Hunk? You got a_ better _score than me!”_

_“I guess you’re right, Lance,” Hunk frowned as they started towards the front steps. “But I think you should have studied more.”_

_“Ah, a 75’s good enough for me,” Lance dismissed. “A pass is a pass, right? Besides, today Nyma actually –”_

_“Watch out, Lance!” Hunk flung out an arm to stop the boy from nearly kicking a small figure sitting on the steps, huddled over a computer._

_“Whoops.”_

_The person had on headphones and apparently didn’t notice the two sophomores behind him (?). Lance, unused to being ignored, raised his voice a notch and tapped on the person’s head. “Hey! You shouldn’t sit here. Someone could step on you.”_

_The figure started, then craned his neck and saw the two standing on the higher steps. He scowled. “Watch where you’re going, then,” he shot back and turned around defiantly._

_“Oh, he did not,” muttered Lance, and he moved so that he was standing right in front of the kid. He folded his arms and glared. The boy looked up, large spectacles framing his face and widening his eyes. He seemed unamused. “What do you want now?”_

_“A little respect, for one.”_

_“Good luck with that.”_

_“Hey, what is your_ problem _?”_

 _“_ You’re _the one who came to talk to me!”_

_“Yes, and we’re leaving now,” Hunk said, dashing down the steps and attempting to drag Lance with him. The taller boy didn’t budge. “Who are you, anyways? What are you doing here at a high school? You’re what, a sixth grader?”_

_“SIXTH GRADER?” The boy slammed his laptop closed, frustrated, and got to his feet. Unfortunately, Lance was still taller than him. He didn’t even see Hunk; his attention was focused solely on the aggravating Cuban in front of him. “I’m here because I’m waiting for my brother, and trust me, I’d rather be anywhere than_ here _!” With that, he stalked past the two guys and angrily strode down to the parking lot._

_“What’s his deal?” Lance muttered. He shrugged it off, then proceeded to his bike, with Hunk trailing behind him._

_And he would have forgotten the whole incident. If he hadn’t see the green-clad figure the next day._

_And the day after that._

_And a week after that._

_And the nicknames. The mockery. The frustration._

_The attention._

**Present Day**

As soon as he spotted Hunk, the tall boy waved his arms frantically. “Hunk! HUNK!”

Sometimes the large guy drove to school, since he’d had his license for a year, and Lance often tried to persuade him to have a turn at the wheel. It usually didn’t work.

Hunk got out of the car, and Lance jogged over to the vehicle. “Lance? What’s wrong? Did you forget we had that test today?”

“Test?! Oh, man, I’m so messed up right now,” Lance groaned, throwing a hand over his eyes and leaning against the car. Hunk watched him sympathetically. “Hey, it’s no big deal. I took notes, and maybe we can ask Pidge for -”

“This isn’t about the test, dude,” Lance said. “It’s about Pidge.”

“Still worried she won’t forgive you for the toothpaste?”

“No, I talked to her, and she wasn’t mad, but I think….I think……”

“What?” asked Hunk. “It can’t be _that_ bad.”

“……..I think I like Pidge. As in, _like_ like her.”

“Wait….really?!” Hunk looked startled for a second, then a victorious look spread over his features. “Yes, I totally called it!” He paused. “But wait…..her? _YOU_? And you said you didn’t like her. But of every girl in school, you’ve fallen for her? Is she even your type? Oh, that’s so cool!” Hunk was apparently torn between triumph and bewilderment.

“Hunk. Focus,” Lance said as Hunk grabbed his bag from the car. “The question is, what do I do now?”

“Well……you should probably tell her how you feel,” Hunk decided as they started up the steps.

“After everything I’ve done to her? Face epic rejection and humiliation? I don’t think so,” Lance refused as they sat down in their homeroom seats.

“Come on,” Hunk insisted. “You’ve done some good stuff for her too, right?”

Lance considered the last month of school. He had done some things for her. He’d walked her home once, showed her around school, and she didn’t really seem to be the type to hold grudges, as she seemed to be completely fine every time they talked, and the jokes and banter they exchanged was all good-natured. But something as big as this? Could he even……

 _I need to stop thinking about this_ , he thought. It was making his head spin. So he said, “I can’t deal with this right now. So,” he said, seizing another topic, “why’d Coran need you yesterday?”

“Oh, right,” said Hunk. “He wanted me to help out a transfer student. She’s taking classes here during the afternoon every Wednesday, so he thought –”

“She?”

“Yeah, it’s a girl. Her name is Shay.” Hunk smiled. “She’s super cool. She’s from that other high school, about half an hour from here – it’s called Balmera Crystal Academy – and she’s got some pretty high ambitions. I think she’s fascinated by space, since her home is kinda sheltered, so when she’s out of college -”

“Hunk,” Lance interrupted, “do you _like_ her?”

“Well, obviously, I -” Hunk started, but stopped when he registered Lance’s words. He slowly slid his eyes away from Lance’s questioning gaze and looked at his books. “No…. I don’t.”

“You totally like her.”

“Oh, like the way you like Pidge?” Hunk teased. Lance pouted and slouched in his seat, face red.

“Score one for Hunk,” his friend said gleefully.

Suddenly - “Lance, your legs are sticking out literally a foot from under the desk,” a voice remarked. Katie was looking at the tip of his forehead with interest. “But hey, I like the change. I’m finally taller than you.”

Lance scrambled to sit up. “Pidge! What are you doing here?”

Katie gave him her infamous are-you-an-idiot stare, which she’d been using for the past week. “We have homeroom together. I’m _supposed_ to be here.” She looked at Hunk. “Did he forget about today’s test?”

“Well, that and he wants to – mph!” Hunk’s words were cut off by Lance’s hand, currently slapped across his mouth.

“Nope, I’m good. Studied for the test, ready to ace it, as usual,” Lance said, flashing her what he hoped was a smug grin.

Katie rolled her eyes, but sat next to Hunk and remarked, “You could glance over my notes if you want to. _Glance over_. Not hoard.”

Lance looked at her slender hand holding out the tablet she used to write on, the lack of nail polish on them, but the cleanliness a contributing factor…. _Focus, Lance_! “Nope, I’m good!” he cried and turned away from her.

“Okay…..” Katie said. “Hunk?”

Hunk looked at his friend, then at Katie. “Sure,” he answered, taking the device from her hands.

“Oh, Lance, by the way, here,” Katie said. Lance turned back to her and saw that she was holding out a brand-new combination lock with a metallic blue tone. “I said I’d buy you a new one. Actually, I wanted to program something for you, so it wouldn’t get jammed again, but I’m not sure I’m allowed to tamper with the bike rack, or your bicycle, so here you go.”

“Thanks,” said Lance quietly as he took the latch from her. He looked at it in wonder, and then slowly slid it into his pocket. At that moment, Mrs. Montgomery came in, and their tentative discussion was halted. Katie tried to pay attention in class, but Lance’s behavior was confusing her, and once class was over, she pulled him aside. “Hey,” she asked. “What’s _really_ bothering you?”

“Nothing,” Lance lied. “Just….just nervous about our physics test, really.”

“You barely ever get stressed about tests, Lance,” Katie said. “And I even offered my notes to you so you could look them over.”

“Okay,” Lance sighed. “Um….I’m stressed because……”

“Because?” she prompted. Lance peeked at her large eyes, like molten pools of gold, and momentarily forgot how to speak.

“….because Hunk’s got a girlfriend,” he blurted out. _Where did THAT come from_?

“He does?!”

“Well, no, not exactly, but he likes this chick, and - and I guess I’m worried that _I’ll_ never get a girlfriend…...” Lance said, switching around a few details of his original problem. He looked at Katie to see if she was buying it.

Apparently she was. “Oh. Well, don’t, uh, stress over it, okay? You’re only 17. I’m sure that one day, you’ll find a beautiful girl that’s _legitimately_ interested in you,” she said, trying to get him to show his genuine smile.

It worked…..or so she thought. “Thanks, Pidge,” Lance said, giving her a grin. But no one except Hunk and his mom could tell that it was his I’m-not-okay-but-I’m-pretending-I-am smile, not his I’m-okay smile. So Katie walked to her next class, reassured, and Lance went to his, still troubled.

Keith, meanwhile, was attempting to stay in denial. Last night when he’d arrived home from his late-night excursion with Katie, he’d started wandering from room to room, trying to occupy himself with something. He’d been in the middle of rearranging the fridge when Shiro had walked in. “Why are you organizing our fridge?”

“Uh….it was messy?” Keith had tried. “How – how’s Pidge?”

“She’s good. Up and running, and I barely talked to her, actually. Hung out with Matt,” Shiro had answered. “I know you tried to see her yesterday, though.”

“You heard me?”

“I’d recognize your motor anywhere.”

Keith had sighed. “Well, I did see her, and I apologized.”

Shiro had looked at him skeptically. He knew when his ‘brother’ was troubled. “What’s on your mind, Keith?”

“I…don’t know,” the younger man had said. “It’s just – when I’m with Pidge -”

“You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”

“No.” Keith had crossed his arms.

“Keith…”

“I didn’t _fall for her_.”

“Keith, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I’m – I’m not letting anyone get to me.”

“…..what?”

“She’s a _friend_. Nothing else. She’s nothing more. She _can’t_ be anything more!” he had snapped, slamming the fridge door closed.

Shiro hadn’t said anything for a long time. Finally he’d answered, “Okay, Keith. I’m going to have to work a night shift in an hour, so I’ll be in my room….if you want to talk to me about anything.” With that, he’d exited the room, and Keith had turned in early for the night, so he could pretend to be asleep when Shiro had checked on him before he’d left, when he’d actually tossed and turned the whole night through.

Now he was extremely tired, and remembered right in class that he hadn’t studied for today’s physics test.

 _Crap_.

He groaned inwardly, and started to tap his fingers on the desktop. Somebody poked him from behind. He ignored the person, until he felt the jab again. Slightly harder. “ _What_?” he snarled, turning around – and then he saw it was Pidge. She blinked, startled by his response, until a firm expression crossed her face. “You’re stressed about something, and if it’s the test, you can look over my notes.”

“Who said I was stressed about something?”

“You tapped your fingers on the table. It’s a nervous twitch.”

 _How does she know_ that? Keith closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and took the tablet from Katie’s outstretched arm. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Katie leaned back in her seat, unaware that Lance was watching the whole scene with uneasiness.

“Wow. I think I might’ve gotten a B minus, and I got about half of the test from your notes, Pidge,” Keith said as the four of them exited the room after class.

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Katie smiled her quirky grin, and it made Keith wish that the test was the _only_ thing he had been worrying about. “So, are we headed to Altea Café today? I could use a pastry after school.”

“I second that, I’m starving,” Hunk chimed in.

“Hunk, when are you _not_ starving?” Lance joked.

“When I’m eating!”

The four laughed as they walked down the hallway, two light-heartedly, and two half-heartedly.

The morning faded away, and afternoon came upon them. Lance eased his bike away from the rack outside, and Hunk said that he needed to drop the car off at his house, and he’d walk from there to the café. Lance watched Keith sling a leg over the side of his motorcycle, and he frowned. “Man, I wish I had a motorcycle,” he said longingly.

“I’ll give you mine when Shiro gives me his car.”

“Really?!”

“Shiro’s never going to give me his car.”

Lance sulked, and Katie smirked. “I just gave you a brand-new lock, and you want to upgrade already?”

“Oh, no offense, Pidge. I wouldn’t….I’d rather get my own car,” Lance replied, thrusting his chin in the air at Keith, who pretended not to notice. “Then I wouldn’t _need_ to ask for favors.”

“Since you all have different modes of transportation, want to race to the café?” Katie suggested.

A gleam came into Lance’s eyes. “Yes! Keith, I challenge you! Wait. What about you?” he asked Katie.

She shrugged. “I’ll walk.”

“You’re going to lose -”

“What’s more concerning is your safety,” Keith interrupted.

“Right. That too.”

Katie folded her arms. “It’s less than ten minutes, with plenty of public, populated stops along the way. I can manage. What’s more, I bet I can get there before any of you.”

Lance scoffed. “That’s impossible.”

“Really? If I prove you wrong, you buy me dessert the next four times we go there, including today.”

“Oh, yeah? If I win, you have to address me as ‘Lance the Ninja Sharpshooter’ every day next week,” Lance countered.

“Deal!”

“Well, since I have to make a stop along the way, I most definitely will not be getting there first,” said Hunk. He started the engine, then rolled out of the parking lot and down the road.

“Lance, you’re buying me food, too, if I get there before you,” Keith remarked as he started his own engine.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Lance slung his skinny frame onto the bicycle and was out of the lot before Keith had left it. Katie watched them until they disappeared. She smiled to herself and headed in the opposite direction.

Keith was parking his motorcycle when Lance appeared, red-faced and sweaty. He practically threw his bike against the tree as Keith leapt off his motorcycle, and the two competitive boys nearly jammed themselves in the doorframe before bursting into the café, both yelling, “I WON!” which disrupted almost everybody, including Allura, who sent them a deathly glare, which made them considerably lower their volume, but didn’t cease their bickering.

“I was already in the parking lot when you showed up!”

“That doesn’t count. What matters is who gets inside first, which was me!”

“Not true, my arm was already –”

The bickering pair was interrupted by a cool feminine voice.

“I saved you guys a seat.”

Katie was positioned at a back table, with a smoothie in her hand and an extremely smug look on her face.

The two gaped. “But – how did – how did you -” Lance stammered incoherently.

“I took a shortcut,” Katie said as Hunk arrived and walked over to where they were gathered. “You idiots went in the wrong direction. It’s a big loop. Going around the back of the school and cutting through a couple of fences is much more efficient.”

“You cut through fences? Is that legal?” Hunk asked.

“That’s not fair! We were on wheels, we couldn’t cut through anything!” Lance complained as he sat down, defeated and utterly exhausted.

Katie shrugged and took another sip of her drink. “Life’s not fair. Lance, can you ask Allura for her tiramisu here? And if not, buy me that peanut butter and chocolate brownie.” With that, Katie turned back to her homework, which she’d extended over a portion of table space, while Lance grumbled and slid off his seat to place an order. “And before you ask, Mullet, I am _not_ ordering for you too!” he shot over his shoulder. Keith exhaled and made to get up, but stopped and turned to Katie. “Do I owe you anything, too?”

“Oh, no, I…..only challenged Lance,” Katie said, giving him a puzzled look. “You don’t need to get me anything.”

Keith nodded, and made his way to the front. Hunk followed him, and Katie turned back to her books. It wasn’t exactly a delight to plod through tall tresses of grass on her way, which were probably swarming with microscopic bugs, but it was worth it to save money and savor the look on Lance’s – and Keith’s – face. After 10 minutes, she suddenly frowned. _It doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to place an order…..what are they doing_? Curious, she slid out of her chair and walked up to the counter, where a line of irritated customers were restless behind the three juniors currently talking to the slender, blue-eyed counter woman.

Katie squeezed her way through to the front and tapped Hunk on the shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, hello, Katie. I didn’t realize you were here,” Allura waved at her. “I’m inviting you too, of course.”

“Inviting me where?”

“Allura’s birthday party!” Lance cried excitedly. “It’s her most awesome event ever!”

At that moment, the woman behind them said to her friend, “If we don’t order in two minutes, I’m leaving this place.”

Allura reached over and basically shoved the four to the other side of the counter, and asked one of the other women to take care of the customers. She resumed her conversations with the four, while the coffee-depraved people, tired after stressful jobs, slowly calmed down and the line shortened. “Friday, 6:00 p.m. I trust you’ll all be able to make it?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lance said.

“Your flattery amuses me, Lance,” Allura replied sardonically. “Remember, _behave yourselves_.” She leaned over the counter and glared at them. “I don’t want a repeat of last year, or else I’ll only invite Katie and Hunk. Speaking of which…” She turned to Katie, her eyes twinkling. “Would you like to go shopping with me for an outfit?”

“Ah…” Katie was clearly taken aback. “I think I can manage without your help…..thanks.”

“Oh. Okay,” replied Allura, clearly disappointed. “I’m open if you change your mind, though.”

The four _finally_ ordered and headed back to the table. “Not going with Allura?” Hunk asked. “Do you already have a formal dress?”

“Formal dress?!”

“Pidge, Allura’s parties aren’t arcade slash pizza type things,” Lance explained. “Her dad’s rich. Like, super rich. Like, _kingly_ rich. _And_ she’s an only child. Big shindig. Full-on blowout. You show up in _this_ -” Lance gestured to Katie’s shirt and jeans “- you might as well not show. Do you have a fancy dress?”

“That depends on what fancy means. I’ve got a couple of them, but nothing fancier than what I wore to Matt’s graduation……Lance? Lance, are you listening? Keith, can you – Keith?” Katie said, completely nonplussed at the behavior the two boys were exhibiting right now. They were both staring at the table, apparently lost in thought or paralyzed. If she’d looked a little closer, she would have realized that their faces were also the exact same shade of pink. Katie looked at Hunk, but he seemed fine, and confused. “Keith? Buddy?”

“ _Hey_!” Katie banged the table so hard that a couple of heads turned, and Keith and Lance both snapped out of their daze and yelped. “What’s wrong with you guys? So what if I don’t have fancy clothes? I can buy some, no big deal! Or are you upset that I didn’t take Allura’s offer?”

“No, it’s…it’s not that,” Lance said, and Keith looked at him a little suspiciously. _Why’d_ he _space out_? He wondered. He had no idea Lance had envisioned the same thing that he had: the concept of Pidge in a dress. “It’s….it’s….”

“You know what, I’ve got to get home,” Hunk said abruptly. “Yup, I have to help with dinner, and Keith, doesn’t Shiro need you home by 5 today? Isn’t that what you told us?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Keith. He got up from the table and started gathering his bags. Lance gave Hunk a confused look, and Hunk gestured to Katie with his head, held up two fingers, mimed talking, and formed a heart with his hand. Lance finally caught up to what he was trying to say. His eyes widened and he started to sweat again. No, no, no, no….here? Now? He looked at Hunk with pleading eyes, who gave him a thumbs up. He’d just came to terms with this supposed crush, and now he had to confess?

But Katie had also started packing her stuff. “I’ve got to get going, too,” she said, looking at the sun hovering close to the horizon. “I told Mom I’d be back before 5 also, but….do you want to come over tomorrow? We can hang out and study at my place before Allura’s party.”

“Take out the ‘and study’ part, and I’m in,” Lance said, giving her an indirect smile.

“Studying is crucial, so are you in or out?”

“Sure. I was kidding.”

“You guys, too?” Katie looked at Hunk and Keith.

“Sounds good.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” said Keith, smiling so briefly Katie didn’t catch it. Lance, however, did.

They exited the café, and after Hunk had started walking in one direction, Keith offered Katie a ride. She politely refused, even though she ached to feel the wind whipping through her hair again. “I don’t want you to go out of your way.”

“It’s not out of the way,” Keith insisted.

“Her house isn’t far from here,” Lance blurted out. “I’ll walk her if I have to.”

Keith narrowed his eyes slightly, but Katie said impatiently, “ _I can manage_. Just because I’m younger doesn’t mean I need help _all_ the time. I have _some_ independence.” _Hello, harshness, my old friend_. Once again, she tried to cover up her mistake. “I mean, what would my brother think if he saw some random guy dropping me home? See you tomorrow,” she blurted out before either of them could say anything, and she started walking home rapidly, her face rosy.

The two boys looked at each other before Keith said, “I am _not_ offering _you_ a ride.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Lance muttered, crossing the sidewalk to grab his bike as Keith sped out of the parking lot. He pedaled as fast as he could, trying to see if he could catch up to Pidge on her way home, but he didn’t see her until he got to his house. She was right on her porch, and she went in before he could yell out her name. Lance sighed, then stashed his bike in the garage. Slipping the blue lock out of his pocket, he smiled a little to himself as he went inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the guys are getting a little jealous


	10. 9. That's my (sh*t), so get in, loser, we're going shopping!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I went overboard with this, and I want to get to 100 kudos. pls help me!  
> The party is next  
> Mild swear warning again.

“How come Allura works at a café when her father is supposedly ‘filthy rich’?” Katie asked, her fingers forming air quotes to emphasize Lance’s previous words. The young woman was sitting cross-legged with her back against the bed, computer poised upon her knees as she continued typing up an essay for English.

“Café brand,” said Lance, who was lying on the floor, arms behind his head, and feet dangerously close to Keith, who was reading from one of his textbooks. “Haven’t you ever seen Altea merchandise? It’s everywhere. Shoes, clothes, books, but mainly electronics. They’ve got one of the most popular products of tech. I think there’re a couple of chain stores around here somewhere, and the café’s just one of them. Isn’t any of _your_ tech from them?”

“No, I use Olkarion.” Katie tilted her laptop so Lance could see it. “With a couple of my own adjustments, of course.”

“Well, at least it’s not Galra,” Hunk said, grabbing a cookie from the plate next to him. He was lounging in a beanbag, fiddling with one of Katie’s old robots that she didn’t know how to fix.

“What’s wrong with Galra tech?” Keith asked, looking up from his book.

“Admittedly, their stuff is advanced, but it’s shady,” Katie answered. “They’re also a top manufacturer of weapons.”

“Oh,” said Keith, reminding himself never to let his friends see the electronic equipment in his house……or get a close look at Shiro’s prosthetic. _But it had worked,_ he told himself. _The people who helped him out seemed to really care, and yet they were Galra personnel_ ……

Lance stretched out one of his legs, and his sneakered toe came extremely close to poking Keith, who shoved it away.

“Hey, I didn’t even _touch_ you!”

“You were about to.”

“Oh, really?”

The two started arguing, Hunk watched them with a bored-but-concerned look, and Katie asked him, “How’s Shay doing?” She’d already met the sweet transfer student, who seemed to have taken an extreme liking to Hunk. Katie grinned. “Did you ask her out yet?”

“What?” Hunk spluttered. “I didn’t – I don’t – it’s not like that. She’s just a woman I look up to and admire very much.” Katie kept looking at him dubiously, and finally he admitted, “I’m taking her stargazing tomorrow night.”

“Wow, Hunk, that’s great! And pretty creative. Much better than the cliché dinner and a movie,” Katie replied, beaming. She was pretty happy for Hunk. Well, until he said, “Since you’re prying into my love life, how about I ask about yours?”

“Mine?” Katie said, reddening. “Um, I’ve never had a boyfriend. Or girlfriend.”

“No one you’re currently interested in?” Hunk leaned forwards, chin in his hands.

“No,” Katie lied, doing everything she could not to look up from her computer screen and glance across the room.

“Pidge, Hunk, what do you think?”

The two looked at the grappling boys on the floor. Lance had grabbed Keith’s hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, while his other hand was pushing his (Keith’s) bangs away from his forehead. Keith was currently trying to shove Lance off of him, but as soon as Katie glanced up, he stopped.

Katie stared at him as Lance kept talking. “I’m honestly considering breaking into his house so I can make sure he shows up looking decent tonight. I mean, last time -” Lance stopped abruptly as soon as he realized Katie wasn’t listening to him. Hunk, however, was. “It’s not bad, Lance, but I don’t think Keith likes it. I don’t even know how you got from arguing about personal space to _this_. What do you think, Pidge?”

With the hair pulled back, it heightened the intensity of his eyes. She could feel her cheeks redden and clapped her hands over them, trying to look like she was casually rubbing her face. “I – I, um – I think it’s -”

“Katie?”

“ _Matt_?” Katie scrambled to her feet. _Crap! Why is he home so early?! Oh no, he gets out early on Fridays, I completely forgot!_

He was already at her door. “Katie, can we come in?”

Lance, Hunk, and Keith had all froze, except for the fact that Keith’s hair was back to normal because Lance had removed his hands.

“We?” said Katie, crossing the room to the door and holding it shut.

“Hi, Katie,” came another voice.

“Shiro?” asked Keith. Lance slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

“Keith?!”

“Katie, _open the door_ ,” Matt said firmly.

Reluctantly, Katie tugged the door open. Matt’s eyes widened slightly as he saw all three boys in her room, then he frowned at Katie. “And you didn’t tell me you were having boys over because…?”

Katie scowled. “I told Mom this morning I was inviting my _friends_ over.”

Lance had a completely bewildered expression on his face as he looked at Shiro. “Hang on……” he looked at Keith, then back at Shiro.

Hunk tried to ease the tension of the situation. “Hi, I’m Hunk,” he said suddenly, getting up to shake Matt’s hand. “Pidge has told us all about you and what an amazing brother you are.”

Katie raised an eyebrow at Hunk. She definitely hadn’t said any of that. Matt looked slightly surprised, and Hunk kept talking. “Also, y’know, we’re lucky to be friends with her. Sometimes it seems like she’s going to bite our heads off at any moment. Keeps us on our toes around her.”

“I’m….not surprised,” Shiro interjected, catching on to what Hunk was trying to do. “Katie’s got a lot of ferocity in her.”

 _What_?

“Okay,” said Matt slowly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. And who are you?” he asked blatantly, peering around Hunk to scrutinize Lance.

“The name’s _Lance_ ,” Lance grinned, but as soon as Katie shot him a glare, he dropped the swaggering attitude. “…..And I live in the same neighborhood. And – and Pidge has helped us a lot on our homework. Without her I’d fail class.”

Matt nodded. “Okay,” he said again.

“Matt,” said Katie, attempting to nonverbally communicate with him and politely acknowledge the fact that he should exit the room. _Get the hell out of here_.

Sibling telepathy was a wondrous thing. Matt gave her a look that plainly said: _These guys seem fine, and I’m leaving now, but Katie,_ be careful.

 _I know_.

“Right,” said Matt. “Katie, we’ll be downstairs if you guys need anything, and you told me you had to be somewhere before six. So _all_ of you are clearing out in another ten minutes.”

Katie knew not to test her brother’s limits at times. “Absolutely. Right, guys?”

The three immediately agreed.

“Sure.”

“Yeah, we’ll leave.”

“Totally.”

Matt finally left the room with Shiro, deliberately pushing the door open to convey a message to Katie, who sighed and collapsed onto her bed. “Sorry about that. Matt’s a little….overprotective.”

“No problem,” started Hunk, but Lance interrupted him. “Wait. You mean to tell me,” he grabbed Keith’s shoulders, “that your fake brother Shiro is the one and only _Takashi Shirogane_?”

“Would you please stop calling him that?” Keith asked.

“Wait, you seriously didn’t know that, Lance?” Hunk said. “Man, I thought it was pretty obvious.”

Lance ignored him. “Keith, why didn’t you ever tell us?”

“I told you he worked at NASA.”

“You didn’t say he was _Takashi Shirogane_ , senior pilot and junior commander!”

“Even Hunk figured it out, I thought you were smart enough to!”

“Smart? I’m _way_ smarter than you think!”

As Lance and Keith began to bicker again, Katie groaned. She turned to Hunk. “Do they _ever_ stop fighting?”

“Oh, they fight less than half the time they’re together,” Hunk explained. “They’re pretty solid friends, and sometimes I help reduce their competitive streak, but I don’t know what’s up today. They’re kind of tense.” The truth was, Hunk had had a slight suspicion, but he’d brushed it off as ridiculously unreasonable.

Katie thought, her eyebrows scrunched up, the she smirked. “I know how to get them to stop.” She began to tap at her computer keys. Hunk got up and walked over to where she was sitting, and his eyes widened fearfully. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. you wouldn’t!”

“I would,” Katie grinned, put her volume on max, and hit _Play_.

                                                                                             _Uh-huh, this my sh*t_

_All the girls stamp your feet like this_

Lance and Keith immediately halted their quarreling, and Hunk groaned and buried his face into the pillow on Katie’s bed.

                                                                            _Few times I've been around that track_

_So it's not just gonna happen like that_

_'_ _Cause I ain't no hollaback girl_

_Ain't no hollaback girl_

Katie expected both boys to cover their ears (which she dearly wanted to do, but refrained for the sake of her joke), or at least beg her to stop. Keith’s reaction was typical: he covered his ears and grimaced. But Katie was entirely unprepared for Lance’s reaction. She certainly didn’t expect him to jump up and _start singing along to the music_.

                                                                                 _I heard that you were talking sh*t_

_And you didn't think that I would hear it_

_People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up_

_So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack_

_Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out_

_That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up_

             “Lance, what the heck?” said Keith, completely flummoxed.

             “Dude, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Lance responded, sending Katie a huge wink while revolving his hips and waving his arms. He did this for the entirety of the song, while Keith and Hunk stared at him, amazed. Katie, however, laughed. She yelled over to Hunk. “Hey, maybe I should blast MCR or Twenty-One Pilots instead, so Keith doesn’t feel left out.”

Hunk chortled, while Keith argued, “I wouldn’t start dancing like _that_ even if you did.” All of them looked at Lance, who was trying to do the Macarena to the beat of the song. His confidence made Katie feel rebellious, so she decided to join in towards the end, even though she despised Hollaback Girl. Soon they were both singing the most annoying lines at the top of their lungs.

_Let me hear you say_

_This sh*t is bananas,_

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S!_

_This sh*t is bananas,_

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S!_

_Again_

_This sh*t is bananas,_

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S!_

_This sh*t is bananas,_

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S!_                                                               

Suddenly Matt appeared at the door, along with Shiro. “Katie, why are you so LOUD? Turn that off!”

Lance immediately ceased his dancing, while Katie jammed her finger on top of the _Pause_ button.

“Anyway, I think it’s time everyone left now, Katie,” Matt continued.

“Fine,” Katie said grudgingly. The boys, knowing they couldn’t argue, gathered up their things, said they’d see her at Allura’s party, and left…..but not before Lance whispered to her, “Now _that_ sh*t is bananas.” She chuckled quietly at that.

Once everyone was gone and it was just her and Matt once more, Katie glanced at the time. A quarter to five. She wondered….....

Lance had just gotten home when his cell rang. Hitting _Talk_ , he was surprised, pleased, and strangely nervous to hear who it was. “What’s up, Katie?”

“Do you have Allura’s number?”

“Uh, yeah, I do, actually. I don’t call her often, though.”

“Can you give it to me?”

Lance relayed it over the phone, and Katie hastily scribbled it down. “Thanks, Lance. See you tonight.”

“You, too. And Pidge?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s……something I need to tell you.”

“Okay, shoot.”

Lance swallowed, his mouth suddenly parched. “I – I really like….”

“Yeah?” Katie was half-listening as she attempted to shove a couple of items in her long-forgotten purse. She stopped, aware that Lance hadn’t said anything for a while. “Lance, are you okay? What is it?”

“…….I really like the fact that you’ve gone out of your way to help us with homework,” Lance said a little dejectedly. He tried to lighten his tone. “That’s all.”

“Oh,” said Katie. “Well, you’re welcome. I have to go now, Lance. Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, see you. Bye.”

“Bye.” Lance hung up and stared morosely at the phone. He’d been so close……

Katie dialed Allura’s number and waited. After four rings, she picked up. “Hello?”

“Allura, it’s me, Katie,” she replied. “You asked yesterday at the café if I wanted to go shopping with you, and -”

“You’ve decided to say yes?” There was a hint of happiness in the older woman’s voice. “Oh, Katie, that’s wonderful, but the trouble is, I’m already at the mall, and I was planning to finish in another twenty minutes.”

“Oh.” Katie was surprised to hear the disappointment in her voice.

Allura thought for a moment, then said, “But, if you can make it here in under ten, I can help you pick out a couple of things, and you can prep with me at my place. What do you think?”

“Um, sure,” said Katie. “I’ll grab a ride from my brother.”

“Okay, meet me in front of Entrance 2. I’m at the downtown mall. You know which one that is, right?”

“Yeah, I can make it,” Katie said, and hung up. She went downstairs to find Matt. He was sitting on the couch, typing on his own computer. “Can you drop me off to the downtown mall?”

“The downtown mall? What about that fancy party you said you had to go to?”

“Allura said she’d meet me there, and I could go back with her to her house and get ready there.”

“Allura?”

“The woman whose birthday it is?”

“I know,” said Matt. “I think Shiro might’ve met her a couple of times. Okay, I’ll take you, but you’re coming home before ten.”

“Before ten?”

“Or you don’t go at all. And Katie…… _be careful_.”

Katie consented to her brother’s rules, and soon she found herself at the enormous shopping center. She soon spotted Allura right where she said she’d be, and the woman waved her over, her arms laden with shopping bags.

“Alright, Katie, my dad gave me until 5:15 to be back, which leaves us….” Allura checked her watch. “Less than fifteen minutes! Okay, follow me.”

With that, she dragged Katie into the mall, and Matt chuckled as he saw his sister subject to Allura’s enthusiasm.

Outside a dress shop. Allura stopped and placed her hands on Katie’s shoulders. “Hmmm…….Have you ever thought about wearing blue? Or perhaps red?”

“Blue? Red?” Katie colored slightly. “I’m more into green, or purple -”

“Excellent,” Allura declared, leading the younger girl into the shop. Katie was bombarded with different colors, fabrics, and an air of ethereal glitter throughout the area. She’d definitely never wore anything that looked like it could belong in this place. She suddenly worried about the cost. “Uh, I’ve got about 60 dollars with me -”

“Don’t worry, I’ll chip in if it goes overboard,” Allura reassured he. “I mean, this is just the dress, if you add accessories and makeup….”

Accessories! Makeup! Katie’s anxiety increased. “I’ve never actually applied makeup before……I don’t usually have the chance to attend formal events like this. Oh no! I completely forgot to get you a present!” The young prodigy started to ramble.

“Calm down, Katie,” Allura said. “You weren’t required to bring me a gift. But if you let me apply your makeup and help you get dressed, I’d consider it a wonderful gift.”

Katie let out a puff of air. “Okay.”

They had been browsing in the shop for about five minutes when Allura squealed from across the room. Katie hurried over, thinking she’d gotten hurt, but was baffled to find the woman holding up a lilac colored knee-length gown, with tulle sleeves and neckline, and beaded sequins along with small lacy flowers adorning the waist and trailing down the skirt. Katie looked at it in wonder. It was single-handedly one of the prettiest dresses she’d seen.

“Katie, this is it. This is the dress for you,” Allura declared. She was practically beaming.

“It’s….it’s nice,” managed Katie, and Allura’s face fell slightly. “I mean…I’d love it. How much is it?” She looked at the price tag and gasped. “Allura, it’s _one hundred dollars_!”

“I can manage that,” Allura said dismissively. “Okay, I’ll go pay for this -”

“I can’t let you,” Katie argued.

Allura’s face settled into a haughty position, and for a moment she looked like a regal queen. “I insist, as long as you’ll let me take charge of your look for tonight. I _love_ doing – I mean, _helping_ my friends with their appearance,” she corrected herself.

Eventually, Katie gave in, and Allura did the same with her makeup, choosing different foundations, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick. The jewelry was no different, except Katie was able to pick out a couple of earrings that she liked for herself.

“Allura, I can’t wear heels,” Katie complained.

“It’ll help elevate your height, and these match so well with your dress.” The mention of altitude helped resolve her case. “Okay.”

Of course, she was actually more interested in the electronics and video games she usually browsed through when at the mall, but Allura was adamant and dragged her away from the display windows.

Amazingly, they managed to finish their miniature shopping spree in less than twenty minutes, resulting in everything coming close to 250 dollars, which mortified Katie, as she’d never spent close to that much on appearance before. Tech, of course. But not this. As they waited outside, Katie’s jaw dropped. Rolling down the street towards them was no less than a _limousine_. And chauffeuring it was none other than… “Coran?”

“Oh, hello, Miss Holt!” Coran called out. “Are you catching a ride with Allura?”

“Yes, Katie is coming back with me, and we’re going to get ready together,” Allura said, smiling at Katie. Suddenly her expression slipped a little as she looked across the parking lot. Katie strained her neck to see what was in Allura’s line of vision. A woman wearing sunglasses, with a lock of hair falling into her face, was sliding into her own car. She apparently caught sight of Allura, frowned, and got into her car and drove away. Before Katie could ask who she was, Allura ushered her into the spacious car, and Katie ran her hands over the lush seats as the car sped towards Altea Manor.

( **BTW, this is the dress I was picturing for Katie. she's got darker hair than Matt.)**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long chapter, and ppl are already voting for kidge or pidgance. awesome.


	11. 10. Party (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I can't fit this all into one chapter, so Allura's birthday's going into 2 chapters.  
> I still can't believe how popular this is.

Katie ogled at the sight of Allura’s manor. “Allura, you _live here_?”

“Yes. It’s fancy, but quite spacious, and lonely at times, so I’m glad for your company. Tonight’s going to be the complete opposite of the scale, so our ballroom’s going to be choked with people.” Allura sighed. “Come on, I’ll show you my room. We can prep there.”

Katie followed her up into the vast palace, nearly tripping over her own feet as she gawked at the place. Allura opened her room door, and Katie glanced at the large bed, the high windows, and the extravagant dresser before she saw the four mice frolicking in a large cage. “You keep mice as pets?”

“Oh, yes. They’re such sweet companions, and often keep me company. It’s hard to make friends when you’re not sure if they care about you….or your status,” Allura said sadly, laying their bags on the bed. “Often the latter has been true.”

“Oh….” said Katie, unsure of how to respond. “I didn’t even know you were rich until the guys told me…..but I really like hanging out with you. You’re very nice.”

Allura smiled. “Thank you. Now come on, we’ve got half an hour, and so much to do.”

It was bizarre. At the end, Katie reasoned that this was what it must be like to have girl friends, and if she was being honest, it wasn’t too bad, but it was too much hassle to be a continuous occurrence. First Allura gave her the dress and told her to put it on in the bathroom. After marveling at the elaborate restroom, Katie slipped on the gown, amused to find that it was pretty snug around her torso. When she pointed this out to Allura, the woman laughed and said that it was supposed to be that way. Katie, who’d never worn anything so form-fitting, felt that is was a little uncomfortable, especially after Allura zipped her up, but she got used to it. Besides, the skirt was flowy enough to spread out when she twirled, her hair brushing her shoulders.

“You’re hair’s very soft, Katie,” said Allura as she brushed it. “Although it’s shorter than the first time I saw it….”

“Oh….I spilled some chemicals, and the ends had to be trimmed,” Katie replied sheepishly.

“How on earth did chemicals end up in your hair? My father’s an alchemist, and even with his most dangerous experiments, I don’t think anything has ever happened to his hair. His beard, however…. Katie, do you mind if I curl a couple of strands?” the younger woman shook her head, and Allura continued. “So what happened to your hair?”

Katie reluctantly told her the whole story. To her surprise, Allura didn’t laugh, but rather sighed and shook her head. “Boys,” she muttered. “I will never understand them……what do you think, Katie?”

Katie looked at her reflection. Allura had pinned back her hair into a slightly high bun, with tresses of hair layered over each other so that the whole effect looked like a small flower blooming from her hair. Soft curls hung over her ears, and to finish it off, her bangs were neatly pinned back with a hair clip, featuring a spray of lilacs. “Wow,” she said quietly. She’d never thought her _hair_ could have the effect of rendering her in awe. “Allura, it’s….”

“Hang on, we’re not done,” Allura interrupted. She, too, had changed into her dress, a gown featuring different shades of blue, and trimmed with gold, but her hair wasn’t made yet. “We’ve got to put on your makeup!”

Katie looked at the variety of cosmetics spread out on the bathroom counter. “You’re going to put _all of this_ on my face?” she asked incredulously.

“Of course not, some of it’s for me too,” answered Allura. She walked around to face Katie. “Now let’s see, which foundation did I pick out…”

So it went on like this, with Allura applying different tones, eyeshadows, and constantly reminding Katie not to blink or squirm if something tickled. She turned her chair away from the mirror, and put on the finishing touches, checking and re-checking her makeup appliance, until she gave Katie the earrings she’d picked out and a couple of her own bracelets. After lightly coating her nails (and toenails, which Katie thought was a bit _too_ much) with glossy purple polish and placing an ornamental choker around her neck, Allura let her look in the mirror. “What do you think?”

Katie was overwhelmed. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from her mirror image. With her bangs away from her forehead, more attention was given to her face. The foundation that Allura had applied merged together perfectly with her skin tone, and her eye color was accentuated by the condensed eyeliner tracing the outline of her eyes and lengthening her lashes. The glittery eyeshadow dusting her lids and brows only supplemented the luminous look her face had, she could practically see the curve of her cheekbones, and the pale pink lipstick was enough to top it off, otherwise a shade darker would have aged her appearance considerably. From the hair to the dress to the heels, it was perfection to Katie. “I – I’m – I can’t believe…” she whispered, unable to say anything.

“Katie, you look gorgeous. Rather, you _are_ gorgeous, otherwise I doubt this would have worked quite as well,” Allura said, grinning widely and looking extremely proud. “Now I’ve got to get myself ready, so you can wait in my room. Your heels are in the bag next to the dresser, but don’t put them on until your toenails dry. I left you one of my old clutch purses on the bed, so you can carry your phone in there.”

Katie slowly made her way to the bed and sank down onto the duvet, absorbed in her thoughts. Once she glanced at the full-length mirror, but suddenly struck by introversion, turned away _. Is this what it’s like for women, and why they put on makeup?_ she wondered. _I’ve never done what I did with Allura today, but apparently it’s normal for girls my age. I mean, I’m not missing anything from my life. I’m confident in my demeanor, and no one’s forced me to choose video games over cosmetics, but…..now I finally see why people choose to wear makeup. Self-esteem and opinion stems from appearance, and appearance is key to public survival. Maybe….maybe_ I _should do this more often._

Looking down at the silver clutch purse Allura had given her, Katie undid the clasp and, to her surprise, found a pair of wireless earbuds with the Altea logo etched onto each piece. _Free merch_ , she thought, but the gift made her smile.

Allura came out of the bathroom. “How do I look, Katie?”

The woman looked dazzling. Her hair was done in an elegantly twist, held securely in place by a tightly coiled braid. Her eyes were also brilliantly emphasized, the dark blue eyeshadow pale in contrast to her vivid irises. A pale pink blush was scattered across her cheeks, and her deep red lipstick looked amazing in comparison to her dark skin.

“You look amazing, Allura,” Katie grinned. “Oh….these were in your clutch purse, by the way.” She held out the earbuds.

“Don’t be silly, Katie, they’re for you,” Allura said. “I had so much fun this afternoon.”

“You know what? So did I,” Katie said. The two smiled at each other, and Allura handed her a tube of lip gloss to keep in her purse for the night.

                                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance looked at himself in the mirror and grinned. “Looking good, Sharpshooter,” he winked.

Keith rolled his eyes. “How many girls are you going to try to hook up with tonight?” He was currently fiddling with his tie, which he couldn’t properly knot.

“Oh, please. You’re just jealous all the ladies love me,” Lance declared.

“Speaking of ladies, are we picking up Pidge? Should I call her?” Hunk said, waving his phone in front of Lance, who jumped. “Why not?” he said, attempting to regain his serenity.

“I’m not sure we made a very good impression on her brother,” Keith said, yanking at his tie. “I mean, when Shiro and I were there for dinner -”

“Hang on,” interrupted Lance. “ _You_ went to _Pidge’s_ house for _dinner_?”

“Several Fridays ago,” Keith said, flapping his tie. “We were invited.”

“What exactly did you do to make Matt _not_ trust you?” Lance demanded, squinting at Keith. Before he could answer, Hunk said, “I’m calling Pidge” and dialed her number. The three boys were silent as the tone dialed – and then she picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Pidge, it’s Hunk. We were wondering if you needed a ride to Allura’s tonight. Your house is on the way, and right now we’re all at my place,” Hunk said. Keith was trying to fold his stubborn tie without looking, but unfortunately it was refusing to cooperate. Lance snickered at him, and Keith glowered.

“Actually, I’m already at Allura’s,” came the reply.

“You’re already there?” Hunk said disbelievingly. This time Keith _ripped_ his tie, and for a moment, all three were temporarily distracted.

“Dude, what the heck?”

“How did you manage to _rip_ a _tie_?” Lance choked out, laughing like crazy.

Keith scowled. “Stupid tie!” he snapped, and threw the remains on the floor.

“Hello? Hunk? What’s going on?” asked Katie over the phone.

“Oh, nothing. Keith managed to rip his tie, and Lance is in tears laughing,” Hunk summed up.

“I’m not sure I even want to know what happened.” The girl sighed. “But yeah, I’m at Allura’s because I went shopping with her, so I got ready at her place. What?” She stopped, and Hunk could hear murmurs over the phone. “Guests are starting to arrive. Allura’s going downstairs. I’ve gotta go, Hunk. See you in a bit.” She hung up.

Hunk turned to Keith. “I’ve got another tie you can borrow, but why didn’t you ask for help on how to tie it?”

Keith mumbled something illegible, but said to Hunk, “Thanks.”

Soon the three were finally ready to go. As they drove to Altea Manor, Lance turned on the radio and kept flicking between stations.

“Dude, _what_ are you looking for?” Keith asked when the same snatches of pop, classic, rock, and country kept replaying.

“Trying to find Hollaback Girl.”

“Oh, please, not again, Lance,” Hunk begged.

Lance sighed dramatically. "Okay, but I thought we could play it in honor of Pidge. Maybe even blast it when we arrive. I’d play it on my phone, but I’m out of mobile data.”

“No, no blasting,” Hunk said firmly. “We promised Allura we’d behave, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Lance muttered. After a moment, he said, “I wonder what Pidge is wearing.”

“Probably green,” Keith answered. “She usually wears green, right? Besides, it’s a nice color for her.”

“Yeah, it is,” said Lance a little absentmindedly, and he leaned back in his seat. Keith, however, moved forwards a bit to scrutinize Lance. He didn’t know what was going on with the blue-eyed boy at the moment, but he didn’t like it.

Hunk navigated the car into the street besides the mansion once he had glimpsed the congested parking lot. As they got out of the car, he saw Keith poke his tie a little bit, and reminded him (and Lance), “Alright, guys, don’t do anything stupid, and we won’t get kicked out. It’s simple. Besides, I can smell the hors d'oeuvres from here, and I _really_ don’t want to miss out on the food.” A yearning look had appeared on Hunk’s face. Lance patted his best friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, buddy. Keith will behave this time.”

“ _I’ll_ behave? I’m not the one who -” Keith started angrily, but Lance shushed him. “See? Keep that temper under wraps, and we’ll be fine.”

“Your sassiness has cost us more,” Keith muttered. “Do I have to remind you of _why_ we got kicked out last year?”

Before Lance could retaliate, Hunk stepped in. “Y’know, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, as long as this year, we obey the rules and have a good time. That’s all that counts, right?” he said, slinging his arms around both boys’ shoulders.

Lance grinned. “Of course it does, buddy,” he replied. “ _But_ -”

“Here we go,” muttered Keith.

“-ever imagine worse-case scenarios? Like bypassing security, banging through the doors, and yelling at the top of our lungs, ‘ _Surprise, Motherf*ckers_!’”

“Are you _insane_? Do you _want_ to go to jail?”

“Hey, it’s worse–case, scenarios, dude, which means _never going to happen in a million years_ ,” Lance emphasized. “I got plenty.”

“I don’t need to hear them, and I don’t _want_ to hear them,” said Keith determinedly.

The three reached the front gates and checked in through security. Presents in hand, they walked up the long path that led to the front doors, softly lit by fairy lights draped across the hedges and wrapped around the trees.

Lance whistled. “Wow, Allura’s lucky to live like this.”

“Yeah, but…..do you think she _wants_ to live like this?” Keith asked.

“Of course she does!” Lance insisted. “Who wouldn’t want all this attention on their birthday?”

 

“Oh, I really don’t like all this attention on my birthday,” Allura moaned as she led Katie down the hallway, the latter attempting to walk in a straight line without wobbling on her heels. So far, it wasn’t quite working, and Katie was seriously debating going barefoot.

Or better, shoving on her sneakers instead.

As Allura approached a set of stairs (side stairs, not steps leading directly into the ballroom), Katie recoiled. “Oh, no. I am not walking down those steps with these heels. I’ll fall, break my ankles, break my wrists, contract a concussion, and -”

“Okay. I understand,” interrupted Allura. “Here, we’ve got an elevator. It leads down to the hall, and the ballroom is three doors from your left. You can’t miss it. Remember, walking in heels – it’s all in the toes.” She directed Katie towards the elevator, and the girl wobbled inside – but not before Allura whipped out a little perfume bottle and spritzed Katie, enveloping her in a fragrance of lavender.

As the doors slid shut, Katie leaned against the rails, suddenly struck with a new thought. What would Keith and Lance think when they saw her like this? Would they even recognize her? She hardly recognized herself. She remembered Hunk had told her that Keith had ripped his tie, and wondered if he’d managed to replace it. She also caught herself wondering if he’d pulled his hair back like Lance had done in the afternoon. She flushed slightly at the memory.

The elevator doors glided open, and Katie stepped out, attempting to put as much weight as she could on the front of her shoes. She didn’t even count how many doors Allura had said, because the light and laughter spilling out from a particular doorframe was enough to confirm the whereabouts of the festivities. She stopped short of the entrance, unexpectedly too timid to go in. What if Allura had overdone her makeup so much that she looked too inappropriate to belong? What if she was underdressed, and no one was outfitted in any gowns higher than their ankles? What if people could tell she didn’t belong? _Stop it, Katie,_ she told herself. She closed her eyes for a second, then resolutely walked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate feedback.


	12. 11. Party (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating sooner  
> whoops super long chapter

Maybe height did give her confidence. At first dumbfounded by the gleaming floor, the high ceiling, and the striking crystal chandelier, dripping with diamonds and encrusted with jewels, she began to relax a little bit. No one paid her any superfluous attention, and a couple of people were kind enough to say hello. Spotting Allura near a beverage table, she began to make her way towards her. Unfortunately (why did this always seem to happen?) she was accidentally jostled lightly by someone, but the gesture combined with the heels made her stumble into someone else. Thankfully she’d instinctively thrown out her hands, or else her makeup would have been smeared all over the back of the man’s jacket. “Sorry.”

The guy turned. “It’s okay….Katie, is that _you_?”

Shiro was staring at her with an expression of shock. “Shiro? I didn’t know you’d be here,” said Katie. She smiled tentatively. “Allura helped me get ready. She invited you?”

“Yeah…….Katie, you look _amazing_. I never expected….You, of all people…..”

Katie gave a lopsided grin. “I know,” she said. “I couldn’t quite fathom it either.” She glanced down. “Your arm…”

Shiro held up a gloved hand. “Completely unnoticed.”

Katie smiled. Then she asked, “Is……is Keith with you?”

“No, he’s coming with Lance and Hunk,” said Shiro.

“Oh. Okay.” Excusing herself, she continued towards Allura while Shiro watched her. _If_ I _think she looks great, wait until Keith sees her_ , he thought _. I don’t think he’ll be able to deny his feelings any longer_.

Allura turned when Katie tapped her on the shoulder. “Oh, there you are,” she said. “I was starting to think you’d gotten lost. Have you seen Lance, Hunk, and Keith yet?”

“No.”

“They must be late. I hope they behave themselves this time,” Allura frowned.

“What happened last time?”

“Let’s just say the ceiling had to be repainted,” Allura said succinctly. She craned her neck, glancing around the room and pointing out people to Katie. “There’s my father, with Coran. Do you see him?” A silver-haired man with the same bright eyes as Allura was laughing in a corner of the room with the mustached ginger. Both had drinks in their hands and were positioned next to a table laden with gifts. Allura noticed Katie’s amazed expression and laughed. “This is why I’m _glad_ you didn’t get me anything. I end up donating most of it anyways. People here seem to think that fussing over me helps butter up my father. So many have wanted to know his trade secrets for years. But he never says a word…..no matter how drunk he gets.” Allura giggled a little, and so did Katie. Her expression abruptly slipped again as she spotted something in the far corner of the room. Katie looked over to the end of the room, too, and saw what Allura was glaring at.

Five people were huddled away from the rest of the guests, one man and four women. The man had the same hair shade as Allura, but noticeably paler, and it was long and sleek, currently pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had a bored expression on his face as he stared at his phone. The four women were quite a contrast to each other, however. One was tall and robust, with dark skin, gothic style, and a hostile look. The girl next to her was almost the opposite, with a sweet face, mischievous eyes, tanned skin, and lengthy hair dyed various tones of red. The other woman Katie recognized as the one she’d seen in the mall parking lot. Her sunglasses were gone, but the lock of ebony hair still fell into her eyes. She had a suspicious look upon her face, and her hands were currently also tapping away at her phone, glancing up every now and then. The last girl was mysteriously pokerfaced. The sunglasses that covered most of her face were too dense to make out her eyes, her tone was the same medium brown of her companions, and her headscarf was pulled loosely around her shoulders. Interestingly enough, she was cradling a cat in her arms.

Katie had never seen such an anomalous group of people. “Who are they?” she asked.

“Lotor and his associates, Zethrid (the Goth girl), Ezor (the red-haired one), Acxa (the one they’d seen at the mall), and Narti (the woman with the cat),” Allura replied icily. “They’re Galra personnel, and frankly, I don’t know who invited them, but I’m absolutely certain they’re trying to leak my father’s secrets. Lotor’s father is CEO of Galra Tech. Well, not if I can help it. Unfortunately, I can’t make a scene in such a refined setting. However, I _will_ drive them away from my father……especially if he _does_ get too drunk on Coran’s special wine.”

While Allura pointed out other people, Katie kept looking around the room, hoping to glimpse her friends from school. Finally, she spotted a certain Samoan boy weaving his way through the crowd.

“I’m going to go say hi to Hunk,” she told Allura.

“Invite him over here,” said Allura, with a playful twinkle in her eyes. “I’d enjoy a nice…. _chat_ with him.” Katie obliged, even though she was confused at the tone of voice Allura had taken. She set off, slightly steadier in her heels than she had been before.

Hunk was currently examining the appetizers table before him, a famished expression on his face. He apparently didn’t notice the petite woman making her way towards him. “Hey, Hunk,” said Katie, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Oh, hey, Pidge, is that you –” Hunk turned and stopped, apparently at a loss for words. He blinked a couple of times. “ _Pidge_?”

Katie laughed a little. “What do you think? It was all Allura’s doing,” she explained, fiddling with her clutch purse. She grabbed several canapes off the tray and shoved a couple into her mouth.

“W-wow, I just can’t believe…” Hunk trailed off, scrutinizing his friend from all angles. “Did you get taller?”

“Heels,” said Katie, lifting up a foot. Big mistake. She flailed, and Hunk grabbed her arm to steady her. Katie quickly slammed her heeled shoe back onto the floor. “Whoops, better not do that again.”

 _Wait until Lance sees her. He’s gonna have a hard time hiding his crush now. He’ll be so tongue-tied he won’t be able to say a single word._ Hunk smiled to himself.

“Where are Keith and Lance?” _Speaking of the devil_. Hunk jabbed a finger at a table several feet away. “Oh, they’re over there. Also looking for Allura.” The two were hidden by a score of people, and conversing about something they couldn’t seem to agree on.

Before Katie could go see them, Allura appeared at her elbow. “Hello, Hunk.”

“Hey, Allura. You look great, too.”

“Katie looks better,” insisted Allura. “Did you notice that _he’s_ here?” She cocked her head at a particular person, and Hunk smirked. “Yeah, I can’t believe he bothered to show up when before this…..” The two continued gossiping, and Katie realized why Allura had wanted to see Hunk. She vaguely wondered whether she should test out the earbuds Allura had given her when she saw Keith and Lance approach them.

“Look, I’m saying it’s a waste of putting it on a table when she’s right here!” Lance was protesting.

“That’s why it’s called a gift table, Lance,” Keith countered. “Besides, maybe she doesn’t want to open any presents yet.”

Katie stared at the two. For some reason, she couldn’t quite feel her legs. They were clad in similar white dress shirts, but each had different colored ties. Lance’s hair was actually combed, without little locks curling away from his head. Keith, on the other hand, apparently hadn’t bothered to do anything to his hair, and Katie found herself feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment.

Lance must have been thinking along the same lines, because just before the two were in range of vision, he grabbed Keith.

“Hey! What’s the deal?” Keith protested. Lance whipped out a hair tie, and Keith would have put up a fight, but it would have quickly escalated, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene.

“You’ve got to look presentable for the birthday girl,” Lance insisted.

“No way. Did you see that guy over there?” Keith poked a finger in the direction of Lotor. Lance looked at the older man, then back at Keith, reconsidering. “Okay. Fine. But I should at least grab you a headband.”

“No headband,” Keith said, whacking Lance’s hand away. He turned to greet Allura…..then his words died down as he saw Katie. His breath hitched.

Lance hadn’t seen her yet. “Hey, Allura – ah…” _Now_ he’d seen her. _I’m hallucinating_ , he told himself. _I must have drank something when I came in, because I swear, this woman in front of Allura looks extremely familiar. I’ve seen her somewhere. And my brain is telling me who she is, but no. She’s not. She can’t be._

Katie was looking at them anxiously, waiting for their reactions. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what was going on with either of them. Lance’s face was getting redder by the second, while Keith was completely still. Both of them had their mouths open.

“Hello, Lance, Keith,” Allura said, but the boys didn’t even seem to hear her. “Lance? Keith?” She looked at Hunk, who shrugged, then she snapped her fingers in front of their faces, startling them. “It’s rude to stare.”

“Buddy, you okay?” Hunk asked, peering into Lance’s face. The latter shook his head furiously. “Yeah, I’m – I’m great. Just – just shocked – surprised – impressed. Yeah. Impressed.” _Smooth, Lance. Real smooth_. “Yeah. Pidge, is – is that _you_? Wha – What happened to you?”

“What _happened_ to me?” Katie said, furrowing her brow.

“No! No, I didn’t mean it that way,” Lance babbled. “Just – who did all this? How – did you…..?”

“Allura helped me,” Katie supplemented. “So technically, if you insult my appearance, you insult her work.” Allura raised an eyebrow at the two.

“Who – who said anything about insulting you?! No one’s insulting you. Keith, don’t insult her.” _When all else fails, blame Keith_ was Lance’s strategy. Keith either didn’t hear him, or didn’t care to respond; he was still enraptured by the sight of Katie. Lance continued. “No, you look great. Fantastic. Amazing.”

“Beautiful,” Keith murmured. Katie was the only one who heard him, and she felt extremely self-conscious, blushing a deep scarlet.

Hunk had an uncomfortable feeling as he watched the two boys. He tried to distract their attention. “Anybody hungry in here?”

“No, I’m Lance,” said Lance without thinking.

 _That_ got everybody’s attention. Allura and Katie groaned (the latter also stifling a laugh), Keith finally looked away from Katie, and Hunk cried, “Enough said!” and pulled Lance and Keith towards the food, while the two girls watched them go, bewildered. Lance turned around once to yell, “Happy birthday, Allura!”

“Hmm….” Allura cast a glance at them, then looked at Katie. Abruptly she smiled widely. “I think you’ve got an admirer, Katie. _Two_ , in fact.”

“Admirer? What do you mean?” Katie looked at Allura suspiciously.

“ _I mean_ , I think Lance and Keith both have a certain…… _fondness_ for you.”

“Fondness?”

Allura frowned. “They’re in love with you, Katie.”

“ _WHAT?_ ” The younger girl looked at Allura, appalled. She shook her head. “No. No, that’s not possible. Allura, our first moments were nothing but _conflict_.”

“I know love when I see it, Katie,” Allura said confidently. “Look at them!”

The two turned to the buffet table and caught Lance staring at Katie. (Actually, both had been staring, but Keith had turned around in the nick of time). Katie looked at him quizzically, and he whipped his head around. She turned back to Allura. “I don’t think so. I think they’re just surprised to see me dressed up. I haven’t exactly given off an impression of gracefulness. I mean, when I met Lance, he thought I was a _boy_.”

“Lance _can_ be oblivious at times, but Katie, trust me on this one.” Allura winked at her.

Matt’s words suddenly echoed in her head.

_Be careful._

At the buffet table, Keith had taken a small plate of food to a table in the dining hall, and he sat down, barely caring who was sitting next to him, or who was talking to him, for that matter – until he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned his head to see Shiro looking down at him. “Hey, Keith.” He slid into the seat next to his ‘brother’. “Where’re Hunk, Lance and Katie?”

“I don’t know where Hunk and Lance went,” Keith mumbled.

Shiro was silent, then he said, “Did you see Katie at all?”

“Yeah, I saw her,” said Keith after a moment.

“She looks pretty nice, doesn’t she?”

“What do you mean? She’s always looked like that.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Shiro looked at him, stunned. “Keith…”

Keith was shocked at himself for a moment, then his face settled into a steely look. “I know what you’re going to say, and it isn’t true.”

“Keith, listen…”

But Keith had stormed off, abandoning his food (again) in the process. Instead of letting the matter go this time, Shiro got up and followed him. “Keith, you can’t run away from your feelings.”

“I’m not running away from anything!” Keith insisted. “I told you, she’s _just a friend_. I’ll prove it to you.” He walked away from Shiro, towards the restroom.

Meanwhile, Lance was speaking with Hunk. “Man, I’ve got it _so bad_.” He leaned against the wall, gazing at Katie, who was currently sitting on a sofa in the corner, playing with her shoes. “Hunk, did you ever think it would come to this?”

“What? That you’d be so obsessed with a girl that you wouldn’t notice how much hot sauce you’ve poured onto your food?” Hunk commented. “I figured it’d happen one day.”

Lance looked down at his plate, realizing his food was practically swimming in the substance. “Great, now this is inedible.” He put the plate down on a corner of the table and slumped. “Hunk, what do I do?”

“Well, as I said before, _go talk to her_ ,” Hunk emphasized. “Otherwise…..you’re not going to get anywhere.”

Lance exhaled slowly. “I guess you’re right,” he admitted. “But I’ve tried before, and I couldn’t.”

“Well, you’ve got to try again. Maybe tonight’s the night.” Hunk encouraged him.

“Maybe,” said Lance, straightening up and adjusting his tie. “Okay. I’m going over to her.”

He wove through the crowds of people to reach Katie, who was rubbing her feet. _I’m going to get blisters_ , she thought. _Note to self: don’t ever wear heels over two inches high again._

“Do you have a map? Because I just lost myself in your eyes.” Lance took a seat next to her on the bench, showing off his flirtatious smirk.

Katie snorted. “A map? That’s the best you come up with?”

“Hey, it was better than ‘Are you Cinderella? Because I can see that dress coming off at midnight.’”

“ _Lance_!” She smacked his arm, mortified, and he laughed a little. “Nah, I know you’re too smart to fall for a dumb line like that.” His easy attitude helped her loosen up. “You sound much better than earlier,” she remarked.

“Yeah,” Lance said, fiddling with the ends of his tie. “Yeah, uh, I was….I was just surprised. You…you don’t usually go all out like this.”

 _I_ knew _Allura was wrong_. “Yeah, decided to try something new.” Katie looked at Lance nervously. “Do.......you like it?’

Lance looked at her bright golden eyes – and melted. “Yeah. I do. You look incredible,” he said softly.

Suddenly, a swell of music reached their ears, and Katie watched in shock as a portion of the floor was cleared out for couples who wanted to dance. _Allura never mentioned dancing,_ she thought. Vaguely she wondered if the birthday girl wanted to take a spin with somebody. The music was so nice, so soothing. It swayed, and she felt her consciousness waver with it. It almost lulled her to sleep……

Lance viewed the dancers for a moment, then in another fit of courage stood up and offered Katie his hand. “Would…..would you like to - to dance with me?”

Katie stared at him, her thoughts slamming back into reality. _Dance? Her?_ Lance was looking at her anxiously, arm still outstretched. “I – I don’t know how to dance,” she mumbled. “…..Especially not _ballroom dancing_.”

“I can teach you. You’ll pick it up as we go along,” Lance coaxed. He tried to grin. “Don’t worry, I won’t make it too boring….unless…..you’d rather not….” _This was stupid. Why would she want to dance? Why would she want to dance with_ me?

But surprisingly Katie was also feeling daring, and she immediately put her shoes back on and boldly placed her hand in his. “S-Sure. I just….I might not do so well because of these heels.”

“I’ll help you,” Lance promised, doing everything he could not to notice the warmth of her manicured hand in his, and how slender it seemed to feel in his palm.

The two moved to the edge of the dance floor, and Lance placed his hand on the small of Katie’s back, causing an outbreak of frenzied thoughts inside her head. _Oh my gosh his hand is on my back what do I do he’s going to think I’m some unsophisticated idiot dance is so personal why did I agree to this I’m going to trip I’m going to ruin everything I’m going to –_

Lance gently placed her other hand on his shoulder, his thoughts also racing around in his head. However, he tried to hide his apprehension. “Okay,” he said. “Just…..follow my lead and you’ll be fine.”

Even with heels, she was barely rose over his shoulder, but it was a start. The orchestra (?) struck up another tune and the two joined in.

Katie was never entirely sure since that day if some sort of essence had or hadn’t taken over her body, because she had never willingly succumbed to such an unusual evening. As she focused on her feet, she happened to glance up at her partner and was surprised at the change in his demeanor. His expression was one of pure tranquility, and he guided her with surprising confidence and security. Her footsteps eventually seemed to grow lighter, the troubles of high heels fell away, and she began to lose herself in the incessant pulse of the music. She wouldn’t have been surprised if wings had sprouted from her back, because she felt like she was floating. She also felt….like she was someone entirely new.

The song came to an end, and it took Katie a moment to register her surroundings. Even though it hadn’t seemed like much exertion, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily. “Wow,” she said to Lance, who had been in the same dreamlike state, except his attention had been primarily fixated on his dance partner. “I didn’t realize formal dancing could be so….exhilarating.”

“Yeah….me neither,” replied Lance. The two stared at each other, then Katie abruptly said, “I – I need to sit down again. My feet are hurting again.”

“Right,” said Lance, who couldn’t come up with a better response. “I’m….going to find Hunk. We’ll join you.” He left her at the same bench as before, and went off to search for his best friend. _He’s going to badger me about not confessing to her. I was planning to do it on the dance floor, but – the mood was too…._ sacred _for me to say anything._

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keith splashed water on his face and leaned against the marble counter. He didn’t want to face the truth. Didn’t want to face his feelings for Pidge.

He didn’t like to let people deep into his personal life. His parents struck the first blow. Mom? Abandoned them, and after her departure Dad promised he’d always be there for Keith. Always. He died in a car accident several years subsequent, and Keith was doubly devastated. Then Shiro. Shiro was still here, thankfully, but the accident? The prosthetic arm? Keith had been terrified, and he’d almost had a mental breakdown before – and after – Shiro reassured him he’d be okay. Even now, it was still too easy to worry about the older man’s safety.

Something terrible always seemed to happen to the people he opened his heart to. That’s why he built barriers. No one would ever get too close again. But Pidge, Katie Holt, had managed to surpass all his obstacles and now she was constantly plaguing his mind. No matter how hard he tried, her beautiful yet determined face always popped up in his head. Seeing her tonight with the extra glamor only heightened his desires. But he had to push it away.

Push _her_ away.

With that thought in mind, Keith left the bathroom and sat in the edge of a bench placed in an alcove, not bothering to look at the person occupying the other end.

“Hey, Keith. I was wondering where you’d gone.”

Of course, of every single person here, it had to be _her_.

Katie was sitting on her knees, shoes resting on the floor next to her. She smiled. “Remind me to never again wear heels more than a few inches high,” she said.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Keith turned away from her slightly.

Katie noticed his rigidness, and frowned a little. “What’s -”

Before she could finish her sentence, the cat she’d seen earlier jumped onto the sofa between them and hissed at Katie. She jumped a little, and Keith was immediately irritated with the patronizing feline. He moved towards it, intending to ~~shove~~ lift it off of the couch, when a threatening voice spoke. “Touch him and you’re dead.”

The two looked up to see Lotor’s associates looking down at them with unfriendly expressions, the Galra symbol etched somewhere in the jewelry they wore. Keith, although he didn’t know who the women were, still recognized the icon and began to worry. However, all he said was, “I was just trying to stop him from hissing at my friend.”

“You can’t stop him from doing anything,” Ezor replied in a sing-song tone, and Katie narrowed her eyes. “What he does, we do. And he’s decided he wants this bench.”

“Therefore, we get to sit here,” Zethrid growled.

“No, you don’t,” snarled Keith. “That’s not how things work.”

“That’s how they work for us, and if you don’t like it, take it up with Lotor,” Acxa said, a haughty expression on her face as she stared Keith down.

“Fine. I will.”

“Actually, Keith, I’m feeling much better now,” said Katie hurriedly, lacing up her shoes and tugging Keith away from the hostile females. Dimly she heard the orchestra start another song, and she turned to Keith and said, “Let’s dance.”

“What?” Keith looked so horrified it seemed comical to Katie. “I don’t dance.”

“Neither do I, but I want to give it another go.” With that, she hauled the poor boy onto the dance floor.

It wasn’t at all like her previous session. Their movements were awkward and jerky at times, and Keith focused more on his feet than his partner. More than once he had to apologize for stepping on her feet, and she for treading on his. It was slightly frustrating, and as the song ended, Katie wondered if everybody was silently laughing at them, but as she glanced around, she realized no one had really noticed.

Well, except Allura, who chose to give Katie a thumbs-up. The girl turned to Keith, who was watching her tensely. She was about to groan, but instead a large, bubbly laugh came out. And as she laughed, so did Keith, and his ephemeral smile shone through, effectively making him appear much more handsome. **_Handsome_** _? Did I just refer to him as_ **_handsome_**? _I think all this dancing is making me light-headed. I need some….fresh air._

“Um….I’m going to take a breather,” she said, backing away from Keith and heading towards an exit, vaguely wondering why she wanted to go outside when it wasn’t an ideal place of relaxation for her.

Right after she left, Lance came up to the distracted Keith. “Have you seen Pidge?” When Keith didn’t respond, Lance frowned and waved his hand in front of Keith’s face. “Hello, earth to Keith.”

“Hmm?” Keith looked at Lance, eyes slightly unfocused. He blinked a couple of times. “Oh, yeah. Uh, she went outside for a bit. Because….it was stuffy in here.”

“Oh, okay,” said Lance, slightly concerned. “I’m going to go check on her.”

“I don’t think she wants to be bothered,” the dark-haired boy said suddenly.

“And you know that how?”

“I…don’t,” Keith said. “I just…. I just have a feeling.”

“Okay, we all know _you_ like to be left alone, but I’m still going to check on her, and if she doesn’t want company, she can let me know,” Lance countered.

As he walked away, Keith watched him with an uncomfortable expression. There was something he was provoked about that involved Lance, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was……

“Have you seen Lance and Pidge?” Hunk had appeared next to him, holding a drink in his hand. He stirred it absentmindedly with the tiny umbrella floating inside.

“Lance went to go look for her,” Keith supplied, crossing his arms. He looked away from Hunk, pretending to be remarkably fascinated by the dancers. Through the swirling skirts, he spotted the nefarious cat from before, its owners crowded around it. Across the other side of the room, Allura was telling Shiro something, and he laughed. Keith watched them talk for a while, and wondered why he wasn’t feeling so great as opposed to his caretaker.

“Keith.”

“Huh?”

“I asked you if you think he’s going to confess to her.”

Keith was confused for a moment. “Shiro and Allura? He doesn’t like her in that way.”

“What? Shiro and – have you been listening to a word I said?” Hunk looked at him, bewildered. “No, I was talking about _Lance_ confessing.”

“To who?”

“Pidge.” Hunk downed his drink.

And if Keith had had that drink instead of him, he would have choked. “ _Pidge_? _Lance_ has a _crush_ on _Pidge_?”

“Well, yeah. It was kind of obvious, if you thought about it and noticed his behavior.” Hunk said. He glanced at Keith, then did a double take. The boy’s face had paled considerably. “Dude, you okay?”

Without answering, Keith strode away from Hunk and headed towards the exit Katie and Lance had used. When he didn’t bother to answer any of the larger man’s inquiries, Hunk knew that what he had been worrying about for the past two weeks was true. “Oh, this can’t be good,” he said nervously, and started after Keith.

Katie, meanwhile had been walking around the large gardens, marveling at the fairy lights strung around the bushes and wrapped around the trees. She had to admit, nature wasn’t quite unpleasant when the air was cool, the wind wasn’t blowing, and the sun wasn’t beating down mercilessly on her head. However, her feet weren’t benefitting from the paved ground, so she stopped walking and absentmindedly ran her hand across the bark of a tall maple, similar to the one in front of her house, making sure her fingertips didn’t tug the fairy lights off the trunk.

At the moment, she was feeling very conflicted. What was going on with her today? The rambunctious singing in her room, spurned by Lance – she had never exactly engaged in such behavior. Then the shopping, the makeup, and the….gossiping with Allura. Since when was that fun to her? And now, the dancing – with both Lance and Keith.

Lance and Keith.

What was her _deal_ with those two?

She had originally thought it was because they’d been such good friends now, but she’d never got that feeling with Hunk. That – that jittery feeling in her stomach whenever Lance had that genuine grin on his face….or Keith, for that matter, when he smiled his legendary smile.

A brief step back: Katie wasn’t entirely fantastic with feelings when it came to dealing with romance. Sure, she could call others out on their own amorous endeavors, but when it came to her own emotions? She was practically oblivious, as well as obstinate about the fact that she’d never get caught up in love, because to her, love seemed to manipulate and warp logical thinking, and a threat to rationality was a threat to Katie.

So love wasn’t a factor she considered. Maybe she was coming down with a fever. That might explain some of her symptoms, but not all. She was absolutely refusing to think about what Allura had said to her an hour ago about having two lovers. The thought wasn’t even allowed in her mind.

And yet…..

“Coming up with a life-changing theory, Professor?”

Katie turned her head sharply, several strands of hair falling into her face and out of her sophisticated bun as she did so. Her wide-eyed glance and stray curls almost rendered Lance speechless. If possible, she looked prettier than before. He almost forgot what he was going to say.

“Um, just – just looking at the stars.” She tilted her head upwards. Amazingly, she could see the constellations much better than from her room at night. _There must be less light pollution out here_. It was pretty cosmic.

He walked over to where she was standing. “Yeah, the stars are pretty striking tonight,” he said quietly, but he was looking at her eyes instead, which seemed to reflect the luminous glow of the sky. He cleared his throat. “So….you disappeared for a while. I thought you’d left.”

“Oh, no. I just needed some cool air after all that dancing.”

“One dance tired you out that much?”

“Two, actually.”

“Two?”

“Yeah. I danced with Keith.” The words sounded strange coming out of her mouth. She’d danced with a boy. Two boys.

Lance frowned. “Keith? Keith can’t dance.”

“Neither can I. We mostly stumbled around on the floor.” Katie smirked a little. “I don’t think he’s cut out for dancing. You, on the other hand….”

“Yeah?” Lance turned around so he was standing directly in front of her.

The close proximity made her pulse speed up. “You – you dance differently than everybody else I saw. The people there – they dance because society forces them to. Yet, they’re skilled, and they put vigor into the motion – but you’re the only person who dances with consideration and bliss.”

“Wow.” Lance scratched his head. “I never thought about it that way. Like I told you: life-changing theory.” He grinned a little, then his face became serious. “Maybe…..maybe I danced that way tonight because…..because I was trying to impress my partner.”

Impress his partner…….impress _her_. Suddenly Katie couldn’t feel her aching feet anymore. “Well…….it worked. I’ve never had a better dance…..partner.”

Apparently the wind was rooting for them, because a little breeze picked up and lifted the ends of Katie’s hair, wafting strands into her face. She was reminded of the gusts of wind she experienced while riding on the back of Keith’s bike.

Keith?

Why was she thinking about Keith?

Shaking her head, she tried to side-blow the hair away, but stopped when Lance reached down and pushed the ends behind her ears. His hands hovered near her cheeks for a moment.

 _If you do this, you’ll smudge her makeup. She’ll shove you away. She’ll punch you. She’ll yell at you. She’ll_ – Lance ignored that tiny voice in the back of his head, placed his hands on Katie’s shoulders, and leaned forward. The girl froze for a second, then closed her eyes as she felt his breath mist over her lips…….

“ _Hey_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ......cliffhanger?


	13. 12. Conflict (of the External AND Internal Sort)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few things I'd like to say:  
> BIG BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY COMMENTORS!!!! I'm so grateful for your positive feedback, and I'm flattered that a lot of people like this!  
> Also, 85 kudos!! 15 more until 100!!  
> This chapter...I'm not sure if it's angsty? probably not.

“Keith! Keith, what are you doing? Where are you going?” Hunk said, trying to keep in pace with the other boy’s long, angry strides. Well, it’s not like you don’t know where he’s headed. _Why didn’t you figure this out before? But honestly…….did you even see it coming? Did you even expect this to happen? No. Of course not, because…..it’s too ridiculous. One, maybe, but_ both _of them_?

Keith didn’t even know where he was. He was aimlessly following the path in the mansion gardens, intent on finding Lance.

And Katie.

“Look, buddy, all I’m saying is that this isn’t a fantastic idea. Maybe you should slow down, give this a little thought –” Hunk’s words were cut off as he followed Keith around a turn, where the dark-haired man had stopped abruptly, shocked by the sight that greeted his eyes. Lance and Pidge were standing a little further down the path, his hands on her shoulders, both extremely close to each other.

 _Much_ too close.

Suddenly Hunk, who had been practically running after Keith, crashed into his friend, not anticipating the rapid stop.

“ _Hey!_ ”

Keith wasn’t sure if he’d yelled because Hunk had collided with him, or if he wanted to separate the smitten pair in front of him, but whichever he was intending, it worked. Lance and Katie practically jumped apart, their moment ruined, and looked at the other two in astonishment.

Lance, disappointed, gave the two a glower, while Katie assumed a deer-in-headlights look. Both of them were tremendously scarlet in the face.

“Okay, _what_ is going on between you two?” Keith demanded. “Tell me _now_.”

“There’s nothing – I just –” Katie started, but _finally_ realized that she _was_ lying to herself. There _was_ something going on, and she’d turned a blind eye to it the entire time.

Keith wasn’t finished. He lashed out at the two, his infamous temper rising to the surface. “ _Nothing_? It sure didn’t _look_ like nothing!”

Hunk tried to interfere (“Keith, Keith, think about this –”) but now Lance was mad. “What does it matter? Whatever it is, it doesn’t concern you, so think about that the next time you barge into a conversation uninvited!”

“ _Conversation_? Some conversation! More like seduction!”

“Seduction?! I didn’t _seduce_ her!”

“Don’t deny it! We all know you’re such a womanizer!”

“I am _not_ a womanizer!”

“Right, because you _don’t_ flirt with every girl on the planet!”

“That’s not the point! The point is _I didn’t force her into doing anything_!”

 _He’s right. Oh God, he’s right_. The thought hit Katie like a ton of bricks.

She liked Lance.

She had a crush on him.

And – she liked Keith too.

She realized that right now.

But Lance also liked her back, and Keith didn’t? Or did he?

What the _hell_?

The two continued to argue as though Hunk and Katie weren’t present. Hunk looked at the squabbling pair fearfully. This was no banter. This was a full-blown fight.

The world tilted, and Katie staggered. Suddenly everything felt too tight, too constricting, it was getting hard to breathe outside, and her head started to ache. She couldn’t think. She needed to get out of there – now.

Practically tearing off her shoes, she ran down the path barefoot, away from the garden, away from Hunk – and away from Keith and Lance.

“Pidge!” she heard Hunk say, but she didn’t look back. She disappeared out of sight right before Keith shouted, “Because I like her too, okay?!”

Lance wasn’t exactly sympathetic. If anything, neither cared what they said anymore at this point. Jealousy was an unbelievable fuel for hate. The two hadn’t seemed to notice that Katie had left, even though Hunk was trying to tell them. “Well, too bad!”

“As if she likes you! You’re _pathetic_!”

That pushed the limits, and they both knew it.

Lance reeled, shock and hurt written all over his face. Before Keith could apologize or say anything else, he shot back with, “Well, at least tonight proved she’d prefer _pathetic_ old me to somebody like _you_.”

Keith was equally stunned, and actually raised his hand to slap him when Hunk grabbed him and yelled “GUYS!”

“ _What_?”

“Pidge left!”

“What?!”

The three of them looked at the mansion, then Lance shoved past Keith and started down the path. Keith looked at him, disgusted and hurt, and instead cut through the grass, towards the front of the manor. Hunk looked between the two, unsure of which one to follow, before deciding on the latter. “Keith, where are you going?”

“I’m going home,” snapped Keith.

“But….you have no transportation.”

Keith looked lost for a second, then he said, “I’ll call an Uber.”

“Not a good idea, buddy.” Hunk hesitated, then said, “I’ll give you a ride back. Your place is about ten minutes from here, and I’ll just….let Lance know in case he comes looking for us….me. Are you sure you want to _leave_?”

“ _Yes_.”

Keith was silent in the car, and Hunk kept peeking at him. After a while, he said, “You’re not really………. _mad_ at Lance, are you?”

“Of _course_ I’m mad at him!” Keith yelled, and Hunk flinched a little. Yet he tried again. “But – you guys didn’t mean any of the things you said, did you? You were just upset at each other.”

Keith’s face seemed to crumple. “It doesn’t matter. Everything he said to me was true.” He stared out the window. “Of course she’d prefer Lance to me. What do I have to offer her?” He looked at the scenery melting away as the car sped on the highway. “I wish I’d never gotten to know her. I wish I’d never met her.”

“You don’t mean that,” Hunk argued as the two neared Keith and Shiro’s house.

“I do. This is why I told Shiro…..I can’t let anyone get to me. Because they’re never actually there for me in the end.”

“Well, what about us?” Hunk asked as he parked in front of the house. “You’ve got me and Lance, right? We’re there for you.”

“Yeah, but….you’re not as close,” Keith said without thinking. Hunk’s eyes widened slightly, then his face fell.

 _Oh, no_. “Hunk….I didn’t mean that! I just – I can’t –” Without finishing his sentence, Keith stormed into his house, forgetting to say a thank-you to Hunk in the process. The big guy knew, however, that his friend wasn’t functioning properly at the moment, and he pulled away from the house, because he had a feeling his best friend needed him.

Katie, in the meantime, was in agitation. She’d entered the ballroom again, but only to cross through to the elevator outside the doors. Once she’d entered the second landing, she hurried into Allura’s room, and dialed Matt.

He picked up on the second ring. “Katie? Is anything wrong?”

“Take me home.”

“I – what?”

“Take me home. Now.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No!” Her voice trembled slightly. “I’m – I’m just tired. Come get me, please.”

“Even though it’s only nine?”

“Matt. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

After she hung up, she’d locked herself into the bathroom and tugged off her dress. Pulling her hair out of its complicated knot and shaking it loose, she’d scrubbed at the makeup coating her face until only faint traces were left. Off came Allura’s jewelry and her own, and after changing back into her shirt, jeans, and sneakers, she folded up the dress and left everything, including the clutch purse, in a pile on the bathroom counter.

Right as she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Allura, who’d noticed Katie rushing away from the party and had come upstairs to investigate. “Katie? What – what on earth _happened?!_ What are you doing?”

“I’ve gotta go home,” Katie blurted out, grabbing her shoulder bag from Allura’s bed. “My brother’s going to be here soon. Keep the stuff. You paid for it.”

“But Katie, it was meant for you. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong! I’m just tired.”

“Oh, Katie, your makeup…..”

“I know. I'm sorry. I appreciated your help.”

“I – I was hoping you’d stay longer. Even join me for a sleepover……” Allura trailed off, looking at Katie hopefully, but the girl shook her head. “Tell Hunk that I’ve left.” She walked past Allura, through the hallway, down the side stairs, and slipped outside through a side door, which required a small walk to the front gates. Within three minutes, she spotted Matt’s familiar car making its way up the road.

As she was about to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Allura had followed her to the front of the manor grounds. “Katie, are you _sure_ something isn’t bothering you?” She was holding Katie’s party items in her arms. “You can tell me if something is.”

“No, I can’t,” Katie said. Allura gave a soft gasp, looking wounded, and Katie realized her mistake too late. “Wait – I don’t –”

“No, I understand.” Allura swallowed. “After all, you barely know me.”

Matt pulled up just then, and Katie abandoned her hopeless conversation with Allura and rushed inside the car. He waved at Allura, who feebly waved back, then drove away, glancing at Katie as he did so. “You didn’t go in looking like this, did you?”

“NO! Why would I do that?” Katie snarled.

Matt looked extremely taken aback. He furrowed his brows. “Katie…..what happened tonight? Why are you so….tense?”

Not tonight. It’s what happened since I started school at Esrevinu. That damned high school. I wish I’d never gone there. None of this would have happened. These changes have been here since the first term and I shrugged them off. “I said I was tired.”

“Katie, I’m your brother. I know when you’re tired, and I know when you’re lying. It shows on your face. So I’m going to ask you again –”

“You were right! Okay?! You were right! Go on and say ‘I told you so’!” Katie erupted.

“What?”

“I should have listened to you.” _Be careful._ “I shouldn’t have gotten myself into this big mess, and now my friends are fighting.”

“I’m not following.” Matt frowned. “You started a fight with your friends?”

“More or less,” Katie mumbled, holding back on the _real_ truth.

“So you left the party instead of clarifying any misinterpretations.”

“Yes.” They’d reached the house, and Katie practically leapt out of the car. As she started towards her room, Matt called out to her, “What _did_ you wear, then?”

“Allura bought an outfit, so I left it with her. I’m not into that kind of stuff,” the younger sibling answered, before vanishing into her room and closing the door. Matt was still confused….and possibly convinced that his sister wasn’t telling the whole truth.

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance had been wandering the ballroom for a solid twenty minutes, and still no sign of Katie. He sighed and leaned against a marble pillar. Who was he kidding? He _had_ practically advanced onto her. She’d made no willing gesture. It was all his doing. _Of course she’d prefer Keith to me. What do I have to offer her? Keith usually gets the better end of the stick every time. So no wonder Pidge would want him instead._

_I wish I’d never gotten to know her properly._

He spotted Allura coming in through the doorway. She was holding something in her hands, and as he approached her, he saw it was Pidge’s dress. “Allura? Where’s Pidge?”

“Oh….Lance.” Allura looked miserable. “Katie said she was tired, and her brother came to pick her up. I was hoping she’d stay longer.”

Lance felt even worse than before. “She wasn’t tired. She left because of me and Keith.”

“You?”

“I was fighting with him, and……..I don’t know. Hunk told us she’d ran off, so I was trying to look for her. To apologize. Gloss things over.”

“I’m sorry, Lance. She changed and left.”

Desperately Lance pulled out his phone and tried to call her, but the call went straight to voicemail. He left her a text message, then turned back to Allura. “Maybe I’m wasting my time. She probably doesn’t want to see me again.”

Even with the slight confusion at Lance’s words, Allura exhaled slowly, fingering the fine fabric of the dress in her hands. “She probably doesn’t want to see me again either. She seemed so cold and distant. I just don’t know why……” As she made her way upstairs to put Katie’s party décor in her room, Hunk came up to Lance. One look told him everything. “She left?”

Lance just nodded, eyes downcast.

Hunk slung his arm around the boy’s shoulders, both of them contemplating the next time Katie would ever be fully comfortable with them again.

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie tossed her bag onto the beanbag and collapsed onto the bed. She pressed her hands to her head, wondering how she’d gone from anticipating and excited to devastated and confused all in a couple of hours. She could still smell the faint traces of lavender perfume that Allura had used on her at the beginning of the night. The aroma reminded her of the vague hint of lemon she’d caught a whiff of…..when she was talking to Lance outside.

Lance.

The goofball. The one who’d laughed at her for a whole year. The guy who was so lively, free-spirited, and dedicated. The one who’d bounce back if something – or someone – pushed him down. He was arrogant, proud, and definitely egoistic at times, but he really cared for his friends. He’d instigate a fight, yet sometimes stubbornness gave way to determination. Smart in more ways than one, and skilled at what seemed to be useless – yet wasn’t.

Was she in love with him?

She couldn’t describe that gut feeling in any other way. When she glowed from internal warmth when he called her a genius. The satisfaction she got from cheerfully provoking him. The violent twists in her stomach when she touched him, whether on accident or on purpose.

But what about Keith?

Was she in love with Keith too?

The loner. The guy who seemed to think with instinct instead of his brain. The temperamental one, who seemed so stoic at first, but the hard demeanor gave way to someone who had fun with his friends, who enjoyed a bit of exuberant competition. The guy who resembled a social outcast. He was fiercely protective of his friends, and sometimes didn’t like to admit that he needed help, but deep down, most likely appreciated the assistance. Intelligent, shrewd, and sarcastic.

And yet she had that same feeling. The electrifying tingle when she’d been on the back of his vehicle, or the relief when she had talked to him and realized that he’d empathized with her. The pleasure she got from causing his bewilderment. Adrenaline flowing through her body whenever she was in his personal space. That faint smell of strawberries……

_What’s WRONG with you, Katie?! You can’t fall in love! You can’t fall in love with TWO GUYS!!_

_This can’t be possible. The odds of liking two guys are….are……..ridiculous!_

And what about them? Did they feel for her what she felt for them?

The embarrassment but contentment when either of them complimented her. The happiness when she realized they cared about her and wanted to be supportive as friends. Their eyes. Their _smiles_ …….

Katie scrunched her eyes closed and acted out the clichéd teenager conflict move – smashing her face into her pillow. She wasn’t even sure if Keith felt the same way about her, but now the logical part of her brain was telling her: _Why else would he get so angry when he saw you about to kiss Lance?_

Lance.

Keith.

Lance.

Keith.

Which one? Forget their feelings, this was about _her_ …….but if they both did like her, like Allura had predicted, then that _was_ a problem. Katie pressed the pillow harder over her eyes.

_“Hey! You shouldn’t sit here. Someone could step on you.”_

_“Who’s this?”_

_“Leave it, or else you’ll make a bigger mess.”_

_“You’ve pretty much earned my respect with the milk back there.”_

_“I like the way you think.”_

_“Wow, you really are a genius.”_

_“Sorry if I haven’t been very…welcoming. I’m not usually a social person.”_

_“I want to make sure nothing….nothing hurts you again.”_

_“I like spending time with you.”_

_“You’re_ Katie Holt _?”_

_“Just a clever tech prodigy, who wants to make friends, and probably sucks at people skills as much as I do.”_

_“Cute?”_

_“Anytime.”_

_“No, you look great. Fantastic. Amazing.”_

_“Beautiful.”_

_“They’re in love with you, Katie.”_

_“Be careful.”_

_Be careful._

**_Be careful._ **

Katie screamed, muffled by the pillow, strangled in her throat.

She. Was. So. Screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still pretty new to this whole ao3 stuff. Kidge or Plance?  
> (tbh I'm going to have a very hard time choosing)


	14. Author's Note 2

Okay. Here's my stalemate. I have 4 options at this point:

1) Have Katie end up with Lance

2) Have Katie end up with Keith

3) She doesn't choose either, and the romantic feelings die down

Or

4) Create two endings, for number (1) and number (2) I will choose from votes. Majority rules.

(My next fanfiction involves Plance anyways)


	15. 13. What to Do (Opinion from Matt and Allura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this is short and not well written, but I've been super busy this weekend. I'm sorry.  
> Notes are at the bottom.  
> Also......9 kudos until 100!

 

Matt, after stalling for twenty minutes, couldn’t deal with it any longer. He went upstairs to his sister’s room and knocked. “Katie?”

Katie flung the pillow off her face, startled. _We have intervention. Should we (a) fight back and resist discovery or (b) choose a path of deception?_

For some unknown reason, (a) won. “Go away!” Katie nearly squeaked, shoving the pillow into her face again.

Instead, Matt chose to open the door. “Katie, what’s wrong?”

Katie tried option (b) and pretended to be asleep. Her back was to the doorframe, but Matt said, “I know you’re not sleeping. So are you going to tell me what’s bothering you, or do I have to drag it out of you? I’m your brother. I know when something’s wrong.”

Katie sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest, clutching them tightly. She mumbled something unintelligible.

Matt sighed and sat at the foot of her bed. “Katie…….I promise I won’t get mad. I’m just looking out for you. I’m here to _help_ you, not hurt you.”

“I ruined my friendship,” Katie said. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and traced streaks down her cheeks.

“What? How?”

“I fell in love with two of my friends but I didn’t realize it until now and I thought I could handle it but now I think they both like me back and tonight they started fighting with each other and it’s all my fault!”

After her outburst, the young girl covered her face with her hands, dampening them with her tears, which were flowing freely now. She felt _awful_. Lance and Keith had started a quarrel which had been primarily produced by her, and by not keeping her feelings in check, she’d managed to create a ridiculous love triangle.

Matt didn’t say anything, but pulled Katie into his arms for a hug. He held her for a while, while tears dripped down her face. When he finally let go, she scrubbed at her face and said, “You were right. I should have been more careful. It was my fault for letting my emotions get the best of me.”

“Katie, emotions aren’t fault. They’re uncontrollable at times, but having these feelings is what helps remind you that you’re human. We’re not impassive machines.”

“Life would have been easier if I _had_ been a robot,” Katie muttered.

“No, it wouldn’t have. Robots have glitches. They fail. They end up replaced. We can’t be replaced. Machines can’t always learn from their mistakes. But humans can. We fall down and get up with a sturdier shell, a better understanding of life. I’m not saying you were wounded, but harboring these feelings inside of you and letting them battle is not a good idea. From what you’ve said, I think you _might_ need to help your two friends reconcile.”

“How?”

“You need to talk it out with them.”

“What if they don’t listen?”

“Then it’s simple. If they don’t listen, that means that they’re _not_ loyal friends, they won’t always be there to support you, and they don’t deserve your friendship. Once you apologize, Katie, the rest is up to you.” Katie bit her lip, staring at her hands. What would happen then? How would she manage to _talk it out_ without upsetting them all over again? And in terms of her own feelings? Would she be able to have....something......with one without hurting the other?

She exhaled slowly. Right now, she realized she needed to focus on something more important. “Okay,” she said finally. “Okay, I’ll – talk to them. But first – tomorrow I owe Allura an apology.”

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

“I’m sorry.”

Two words Katie wasn’t used to speaking. Two simple words, yet managing to get them out had taken more effort than hacking into a heavily encrypted system. (Which she’d never actually managed to do, but it was hard to even try). Words that could be brushed off when meaningless, yet a serious incident gave them all the weight in the world.

She was standing outside Altea manor’s gates on Saturday, Allura in front of her. After calling the woman and asking for permission to speak to her, Matt had dropped her off and was currently parked across the street.

Katie glanced back at him once, and he gave her a thumbs-up. She looked at Allura and took a deep breath. “I wish I had been nicer to you. I – I just got so stressed from yesterday, because Keith and Lance were fighting over me, and it just strained my mood.”

“They were fighting about _you_?” A worried look crossed Allura’s face. “Oh, I shouldn’t have even made the assumption that they were in love with you, because then –” She sighed. “But I accept your apology, Katie. I guess I was just so desperate for a friend that I barely took your feelings into consideration.”

“No, I really enjoyed everything you did for me. You are a _great_ friend, and……..I’m sorry I made you think otherwise.”

Allura beamed. “So I’m assuming you want your dress and accessories back now?”

Katie smiled weakly. “Sure. I actually did want to keep them, but……I’m – I’m just so confused on what to do now. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings anymore, but…it’s challenging. I hate causing fights.”

Allura frowned. “Hmm. And I don’t suppose letting go of any romantic ties is an option?”

“Um…..it – it could be, but…..”

“Knowing those boys, it isn’t.” Allura contemplated the thought in her mind. She snapped her fingers. “Come with me. We’re going to analyze this until we come up with one solid conclusion. After that……well, I suppose it has to play out as it’s meant to be.”

 _Play out as it’s meant to be?_ “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“You have to choose one of them. I’m not sure how strongly they feel towards you, but unless you can let go of these feelings and they can withhold theirs, you have to decide who you want as your…..boyfriend, and let the other one down as gently as possible.”

Katie shook her head. _No. No way. Choose between Keith and Lance? Impossible._ She couldn’t. “I can’t.”

Allura gave her a pitiful look. “Katie….”

Katie shook her head, but internally she knew she was being stubborn. She didn’t want to lose their friendship, not when it had become so strong, and she knew if this kept up, the bond between them would erode. She gritted her teeth. “Okay! I’ll…….choose one, but I have to talk to them separately, then. And besides,” she continued, straightening up, “if they can’t deal with it, I’ll call it off. No relationships beyond friendship, but – I don’t know how to choose!” her voice lifted slightly, signaling slight hysteria.

“Katie, calm down,” Allura said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulders…..which only served to remind her of last night. _Stop it_. “Like I said, I’ll help you analyze it. This is what friends are for.”

Well, analyzing _was_ one of Katie’s strong points. She slowly nodded, then followed Allura to one of the garden benches, and together they had a long talk that, starting Monday, would change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I've got a new dilemma. I've got a great ending for kidge, but plance needs tuning. I really want to end this in kidge, but after developing the guys' feelings, I've looked back, and it still isn't fair. I know most of you want two, but majority so far has stated four. However, it doesn't matter which ending you read. read one, and pretend the others don't exist. So fair warning: the kidge one might be better. but i'm still doing the plance one, because I know people who ship it read this. I don't want to disappoint anyone.  
> once again, sorry this isn't too well written. I was tired, but I know everyone's waiting for another chapter, at least.


	16. 14. It All Ties Back to Us (Plance Ending)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am so so so sorry for not posting sooner! This week was ridiculous, and I wanted to put the plance and kidge endings at the same time, but I know a few people were waiting for me to post again, so here's the plance ending! I tried to soften the blow as much as I could, but IF YOU WANTED ONLY KIDGE, DO NOT READ because you will be disappointed. If you like both, read and I'll have the kidge one up by Thursday.  
> On a side note: 97 KUDOS!!! I'm so close you guys!!

Lance hadn’t said a single word all morning, and Hunk was starting to wonder if he was mad at _him_ instead. In fact, Lance hadn’t been acting like himself at all. He’d had a dull, lifeless look in his eyes since he’d greeted Hunk in the morning. It was so unnatural for Lance that Hunk was unsure whether he’d swapped bodies with an alien. Elaborating on that thought made him freak out a little, so he gently nudged Lance and said, “Lance, you okay? You haven’t been yourself all morning.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lance mumbled. People began to file into the class for homeroom, and Lance took out his books.

“Lance.” Hunk said. “You’re _focusing on your schoolwork_. You’re definitely not fine. You can’t keep hiding the truth behind a smile and a cheery demeanor. You need to face this kind of stuff head-on, or risk being destroyed internally.”

“Destroyed internally? I think it’s too late to prevent that.”

“Lance, didn’t you experience this with Nyma?”

“Hunk, that was different!” Lance looked at his friend, pain lacing his indigo irises. “I barely _knew_ Nyma! Pidge is a genuine girl I know and love, so finding out that she doesn’t like me back does more to me than brushing off a hot chick equivalent to eye candy!” He buried his face in his arms.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy,” Hunk said, rubbing Lance’s back. “Who said she didn’t like you?”

“It’s obvious,” Lance said, his voice smothered through his arms. “I mean, if it’s between me and Keith, then it’s clearly him. Whatever I do, Keith always has to do it better. Forget do it better, he’s _naturally_ better at it. Why do you think I compete with him so much?” Lance raised his head, and then said quietly, “I just – I just wish there was something that I’m good at that Keith can’t do. Y’know, like in _my_ field of expertise. Maybe…..something so I didn’t need to strive to beat Keith at it. And now this, with Pidge –”

His voice cracked, and he stopped abruptly. Hunk tried his best to comfort him. “Lance, until you have proof about this, you can’t just assume she’s going to like Keith instead of you. I mean, I’m pretty sure we interrupted you two….. _having a moment_ on Friday night.”

“That’s what I thought it was – until Keith showed up.”

“But – I mean – it’s not like she dropped to her knees and confessed her undying love for him.” Hunk paused. “Okay, that’s weird. It sounded better in my head. Anyway, if I’m being completely honest, she seemed like she was more into you than him.”

But right now to Lance, it didn’t matter what Hunk said. The aching feeling in the pit of his stomach was a pulsing pain……and it wasn’t going away anytime soon. _He’s right. I_ am _pathetic._

Katie walked into their homeroom, not looking at Lance. Although it wouldn’t have mattered, because as soon as he realized who it was, he didn’t give her a second glance. Hunk could almost taste the tension between them. Both were stiff with fear and awkwardness. Katie was worrying about getting Lance and Keith to reconcile, and she was nervous about the separate conversations she’d decided to have with them. Lance just didn’t want her to tell him _Friday night didn’t mean anything, I actually like Keith instead, and you’re just too low for my standards. We’ll be friends and nothing more_. He was overreacting, but the argument sounded plausible to him in his depressed state of mind.

Friends and nothing more.

After homeroom, Katie and Hunk headed to English, but the big guy was absolutely restless with anxiety. Finally, he could stand it no longer and whispered to Katie, “What’s going on? Why won’t you talk to Lance? Are you mad at him?”

“No, I – I’m not mad,” Katie stammered. “I just – I can’t talk to him right now. Not until I have all the information.”

“Wait, what information?” Hunk asked, puzzled. But Katie didn’t answer, and Hunk had to deal with her silence again unless he wanted the teacher to call him out for talking in class.

By the time her pre-calculus class rolled around, Katie was still quite morose. It was disheartening to see Lance so sad on her account, and she realized that she needed him more than ever to remain exuberant and alive. What scared her the most, however, was the lack of hope in his eyes. _When Lance collapses, the world cries_. It sounded ridiculous, but she couldn’t live with letting him feel like this. Maybe she realized that Keith, however soft he may be, didn’t usually have his emotions written across his face for the world to see. Lance, however, was an open book. She was nearly sweating with trepidation. _You can do this, Katie, you can do this_ , she told herself. Spotting Keith, she clenched her teeth and purposefully strode over to him. “Keith.”

The dark-haired boy looked down at the teenaged girl, startled. “Yeah?” he said, and Katie recognized that concrete demeanor in the tone of voice he used.

The voice of dealing with a stranger.

She swallowed and pressed on. “I need to talk to you.”

“Can it wait? We have class,” Keith snapped, determined not to have a heartfelt talk with Katie. Ever again. He’d even pushed away Shiro’s questions last weekend, no matter how badly he wanted to tell him.

And Katie felt that same mixture of anger and exasperation swell up inside her again, similar to the day she’d showered him with milk. Whenever he refused to cooperate, she pushed back. Apparently they butted heads more often then she’d prefer. “No, I have to talk to you now. It won’t affect our grades if we’re tardy.”

Keith scowled slightly and leaned against the wall. “Make it quick.”

Katie exhaled slowly. “Okay. Last Friday night – why were you so angry at Lance?”

He knew she’d say this. But knowing beforehand didn’t mean he had an answer ready. “Because – because I thought he was….taking advantage of you.”

“Okay,” Katie said deliberately. “But – you really blew up at him. You’ve never gotten angry like that before.”

“Sometimes Lance can push the limits,” Keith said carefully. “I just didn’t want to make sure he tried anything with you.”

“He wasn’t doing anything without my consent,” Katie replied quietly. It took a moment for Keith to let that sink in, but once it did, he widened his eyes. “So…..”

Katie nodded. “I – I’m in love…..with Lance.”

It hurt.

The pain was familiar, and he’d experienced it for such a long time, but nonetheless it still stung with a passion. However, having his heart broken again and again seemed to have increased its durability. Because he remembered the pain burning penetratingly with his mom. And his dad. And with Shiro.

What was the difference here?

“But what I wanted to know is…….did you – do you – like me in – in the same way that….uh……are you in love with me too?” _Okay, Katie, we can cross fluent speech off your list of talents. Because clearly this is a straining, dying, emotional appeal_.

And suddenly, Keith was surprised to find himself with a fraction of _hesitation_ before answering. “Yes. I do.”

Oh. She’d been afraid of this. “Keith….I really like you too, but….I…..it feels like both you and Lance are vying for attention in the romantically occupied space of my brain which I didn’t know existed until a few days ago.” Okay, that didn’t sound quite right. “And I’ve been trying to figure out what to do, and…I decided……”

“On Lance,” Keith said tonelessly.

She liked him.

But not enough.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You decided on pursuing a relationship with Lance.”

“Maybe,” said Katie, surprising herself. “Because yes, I do want to be….. _more_ than friends with Lance, but……what I want more than that is for all of us to be friends again. Because I’m not doing anything before that.”

“What?”

“I want you to conciliate,” Katie said, her voice coming out marginally stronger. “I hate when the two of you argue, and I think Hunk does too. I know for a fact that the two of you are still on cold terms with each other since your brawl on Friday, so before…… _anything_ happens, I need both of you to become friends again. Because……I want that feeling back. The bond that the four of us have? I don’t know, but sometimes it seems like we’re more than a team of people. It’s like we’re……..like we’re a _family_.”

Keith was silent, digesting her words. Deep down, he admitted that he did enjoy the three’s friendship with him, and he kind of (But he’d never admit it) missed Lance’s teasing and sarcasm. But now when it came to Pidge, he still felt a gap. He still felt a need to have her as more than a friend.

One of Shiro’s quotes suddenly came back to him. Right after his incident, Keith had been stressing about finances and bills on Shiro’s behalf, when the older man had suddenly said to him, “ _I know it’s ideal to lay out a plan, but sometimes life doesn’t let you make plans. So the best move you can make is focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Take it one step at a time. You’ll be okay, Keith.”_

_Take it one step at a time._

_You’ll be okay, Keith._

Katie was right. He needed to focus on patching up his fractured friendship before it was too late. Because even though he might never get that solidarity he wanted with Katie, it wasn’t worth losing her friendship. And Hunk’s. And Lance’s.

But everything Lance had said……

 _Do it for her, Keith_.

“Alright,” he said shortly. “I’ll talk to Lance at lunchtime. But he also owes me an apology. Otherwise I’m not agreeing to anything.”

Before Katie could respond, their teacher happened to poke her head out of the classroom. She jumped at the sight of Katie and Keith. “What are you two doing out here? You need to be in class! I should give you detention!”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two answered obediently, hurrying into the classroom and siding into their seats. Katie felt the knot in her stomach residing since the morning loosen. And Keith? He felt his own knot slacken……but only slightly.

Lunchtime came too quickly for anyone’s tastes. After Keith had gotten his lunch tray, Katie more or less dragged him to the back table where Hunk and Lance were positioned. Their backs were to the front of the cafeteria, but as soon as Katie and Keith walked around to the other side of the table, Lance noticed them, froze, and turned away with his arms crossed. An odd sense of pity was aroused in Katie, and she tried to wordlessly tell Keith to apologize. He looked at her blankly. Hunk was looking between the two, evidently confused.

 _Right, he’s clearly not getting the message_. Katie plopped herself onto the bench across from Hunk, immediately engaging him in a conversation, while Keith hesitantly sat across from Lance. He looked at his friend, who hadn’t made any sort of indication that he (Keith) was sitting there. He (Lance) continued to stare at the ground, misery adorning his features.

After five awkward minutes of silence, Keith thought, _Okay, I can’t take this anymore_. He slammed down his fork (again) and stood up. “Lance, I need to talk to you.”

Lance appeared mildly startled at this change of attitude. “Uh…”

But Keith had pulled Lance to his feet and led him to a corner of the lunchroom. Katie watched them tentatively, then turned back to Hunk, and started explaining the situation to him.

Once out of earshot, Keith folded his arms, sighed, and looked at Lance, who was now puzzled _and_ annoyed.

 _Do it for her_. “Sorry.”

“What?”

“I said sorry!” Keith’s voice raised a notch, then he forced himself to calm down. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for – for calling you _pathetic_ at Allura’s party. I was angry, and you didn’t deserve that.”

Lance looked at him, eyebrows drawn together. “Okay. I accept your apology, and…….I’m also sorry for calling you…….worse than pathetic.”

“I guess we both got carried away that night.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The silence was becoming uncomfortable again, so Keith asked, “Anything else bothering you?” He still felt bad for Lance, but his sympathy had mainly vanished since his conversation with Katie.

Lance shook his head rapidly, and attempted a small smile. “No, we’re good, man.” The last person he wanted to talk to about Pidge was Keith. However, right before they got back to the table, Keith added, “By the way, I think Pidge wants to talk to you.”

“She does?” said Lance, completely thrown off guard. “Wait….what for?”

“You’ll have to ask her yourself,” Keith replied.

The two resumed their seats, and Hunk instantaneously grabbed Keith’s lunch tray (“Hunk, what are you doing?”) and began to decontaminate it, like he’d done to Katie’s tray the past days. Katie chanced a glance at Lance (that was a weird sentence), and accidentally caught him staring at her. He turned away, face vaguely rosy, and she had to mentally chide herself. _Friendship first, Katie._

 _Friendship first_.

“Hunk, I can’t survive on this. You haven’t left me any real food to eat,” Keith complained. She turned, grateful for the distraction.

“You would have survived for a shorter time if you had eaten _everything_ on here,” the big guy countered.

“Keith’s immune system is strong enough for anything,” Lance shrugged, sounding much better than before. He didn’t exactly realize it, but Keith’s words and apology had helped rejuvenate him a little. “He could eat a brick and survive.”

In turn, Lance’s easygoing attitude return helped Keith relax. Slightly. “At least I can manage to eat a brick, or whatever you’re claiming. _You_ , on the other hand, probably won’t be able to hold down your alcohol when we grow up.”

“Hey! Wait, when we grow up? I bet I can hold down my alcohol now!”

As the two started a normal, genial fight again, with Hunk and Katie interfering every now and then (while Katie tried not to stare at Lance for too long), the young girl looked at her friends and smiled. Now that everybody was on good footings, she just had to figure out how to talk to Lance.

It might have been a reconciled friendship, but it was on halting terms. Because at the end of the day, before Lance had unlocked his bike from the rack, Katie went over to him and asked him something. Keith was already headed towards his motorcycle, but when he saw the two talking, he just stopped. Hunk, who was about to get into his car, saw what Keith was staring at, and saw the heartbroken look on his face. He went over to him and gently put an arm around his shoulders. Keith, unused to this affection by anyone besides Shiro, tried to turn away, but Hunk held on and firmly guided him away from the parking lot, away from the waiting modes of transportation, and away from Katie and Lance.

Once they were at least three blocks away from the school, Hunk finally spoke up. “How’re you holding up, buddy?”

“I’m – fine –” Keith spat out, but Hunk stopped walking and held onto Keith obstinately. He looked at his face, set into a hard scowl, before suddenly pulled him in for a hug.

Keith was about to pull away. He really was. But Hunk’s warm embrace buckled something inside of him, and instead he went limp, forcing his tears back into his eyes, and making sure they didn’t course down his face. He never cried. _I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry_.

“Keith, you’re going to be okay,” he heard Hunk whisper to him.

_You’ll be okay, Keith._

The big man finally released him and scrutinized his friend. _I really hope Lance and Pidge don’t make this too obvious_ , he thought, because of course Hunk knew what was going on. He was very intellectual. Clearly Keith still needed to adjust to the idea, and he wouldn’t get over his crush all at once. Only time would suffice in lessening the pain.

Well, time and other activities. “So, what are your dinner plans tonight?”

Keith stared at him, taken aback. “Din…ner plans?” He was confused as to how Hunk had gone from sentimental to casual.

He really hadn’t, but Hunk was determined to occupy Keith’s mind so he wouldn’t obsess over Pidge. With whatever it took.

However long it took.

He put his arm around Keith’s shoulders again. “Well, today is Monday.”

“And that means….?”

Hunk gave him a look. “So you and Shiro don’t follow an organized meal plan for every day of the week?”

“Should we? Our food’s mostly frozen dinners –”

Hunk let out a squawk of indignation, and started to walk again, which prompted Keith to follow. “Well, today you’ll be trying something new. We’re going to my place, and I’m going to show you how to cook a roast lamb. In fact, I was able to get the seasoning to perfection just a few days ago. I mean, the amateurs! Who _doesn’t_ know how to fix the sauce by adding…..” Keith started to drift away from Hunk’s monologue, but every five minutes Hunk would ask him if he was following, gratefully providing a distraction that the downhearted boy needed. It would be another three hours before the two would remember their vehicles neglected in the school parking area. 

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While this had been happening, Katie had walked over to the bike rack, where Lance was currently unlocking the padlock chaining his bike to the rack. He stopped when he saw her. “Hey, Pidge.” Neutral, even tone. Pretending-to-be-okay smile. She recognized the difference now.

Katie fiddled with the fabric of her jacket. “I – I need to ask you something,” she said, heart pounding.

Lance leaned against the bike rack. “Okay, shoot.”

“Uh….” Why did this sound so much easier in her head? Maybe she should just start the conversation the way she had with Keith. “L-Last Friday night –” Great, now she was thinking of Katy Perry’s song. _Concentrate, Katie, concentrate._ She ended up blurting out, “Were you trying to kiss me?”

Blood started rushing to her face, creeping up her neck along the way. Lance was also just as scarlet, if not a deeper shade. “Um…W-Well, I…I was….I was….”

Now Katie was starting to doubt her own conclusions. She cursed her teenage hormones. ‘We’re not impassive machines’. _Well, right now, Matt, right now I wish I was_.

“I was.”

The words came out as a statement rather than a fragment. Katie looked at Lance in shock. He sighed. “I guess I can’t deny it anymore. Pidge, Katie Holt, I’m crazy about you, but I know you came to tell me that you don’t feel the same way. Obviously you already figured this out, that’s why you talked to Keith first and confessed to him, so I think you two are now dating, but since you’re such an amazing person, you’ve decided to clear this up with me so I stop pining. Well, all I can say is –”

“You’re an idiot.”

“…..what?”

“I said you’re an idiot, Lance McClain! You completely botched up your conclusions, and do you think I put up with you for _all of last year_ just to say that now I don’t like you more than a friend?!” Katie was half-rambling, half-shouting words off the top of her head now. Luckily the parking lot was practically empty. “You’re amazing, okay? You’d better stop degrading yourself, Lance, because you are the – the funniest, sweetest, most easygoing person I’ve ever met, and even though you’re super stubborn at times, it doesn’t matter to me. I – I care about you a lot, and I hate when you’re sad, because – because it affects me and everyone else more than we want it to, and it depresses me. So no, I’m not dating Keith, and I had to let him down, because I like you more, and – and –” Katie stopped, abruptly unsure of what to say anymore, and breathing a little heavily. _I don’t think half the things I said even made sense. Now **I** feel like an idiot_.

_Now he probably thinks I’m an idiot too._

Lance had been watching her for a while, but now the only two things reverberating in his head were the phrases _I like you more_ and _you’re an idiot_. Which didn’t really add up, but all he could think of when he saw her golden eyes was _I’m so in love with this girl_.

Katie looked at him nervously, fidgeting. _Evidently she was waiting for him to say something. Lance, say something! Don’t stand there like the brainless idiot she think you are, or else she’ll go running back to Keith!_

That thought shook him back to reality, and he said, “I – I like you too.” _Stronger, dude, stronger_! “I mean – I know I tend to be a bit of a flirt, but I’m – I’m actually in love with you, and I probably have been ever since the beginning of this year, but I didn’t realize it. And – and I guess –” Lance sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve been worrying about your feelings, too……because I even did the math, and it’s pretty ridiculous for you to feel the same way about me.”

“You know what? Screw math, because it doesn’t apply to human emotions. Even I calculated the odds, and it doesn’t add up,” Katie said, a smile tugging at her lips. “Yet here I am.”

“Here you are,” agreed Lance. His mood was starting to lift. “So…..we like each other.”

“Way to state the obvious.”

Lance chuckled slightly, but he was still eyeing Katie warily. As though he was waiting for a signal. Maybe he should try again. Risk it again…….

But before he could attempt anything, Katie, who had evidently gotten tired of waiting for him to make another move, snatched the front lapels of his jacket, tugged him down to her height…….and kissed him.

It was awkward, because she’d accidentally pulled him so hard their teeth had clashed beneath their lips, but he’d pulled back slightly and was kissing her softly, properly, hands clutching her waist, while she’d tentatively slid hers from his jacket to around his neck.

 _Finally_.

After they broke apart for air (and thankfully the parking lot was now completely empty) they looked at each other, slightly stunned, before Katie laughed, and Lance grinned his genuine smile, brightened by a sense of ecstatic dorkiness. “Next time, give me a warning,” he admonished her, looking at her brilliant orbs, illuminated by joy.

“Warning? You weren’t doing anything, and I don’t wait around for anyone. I’m an independent woman. If I want something, I take it,” Katie teased, still slightly red in the face. “You, however –”

And Lance kissed her again, partly to stop any more insults from spilling out of her lips.

But mainly because he wanted to feel her warmth again.

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“That’s not right,” Hunk muttered, poking the bowl’s substances with his spoon. “It shouldn’t be firm, it should be fluid.”

“What’s not right?” asked Keith. “You followed the instructions exactly, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but this isn’t his house. Therefore, not his ingredients, therefore, the results won’t be the same,” Lance added, peering closely at the lumpy dough in the mixing bowl.

The three were at Katie’s house. Two months had passed since Allura’s birthday, and winter break found them relaxing at the Holts’ residence one chilly afternoon.

“Well, he taught me how to make a whole roast lamb,” Keith countered. “I don’t think ingredients matter.” He still remembered that fateful day when Hunk had invited him over two months prior, and sent him home with instructions on how to prepare the lamb, even ringing him up to go over each direction. He had been concentrating extremely hard, partially in order to take his mind off the school day’s events – and had succeeded pretty well – until Shiro offered to help. Long story short, the fire alarm went off and the lamb ended up tasting like burnt rubber. Completely inedible. The next day, Hunk made sure to go to Keith’s house and _visually_ guide him.

Hunk’s kindness that day (and the following days) had made Keith realize that he had been wrong the entire time. Because for most of his life, even though he barely let it show, he’d been scared.

Scared that during his hardships, no one would stand up for him or support him, leaving him to stumble through the darkness on his own. It fueled his fear of getting close to Katie, and he attempted to distance himself as much as he possibly could.

And it failed. He recognized this, right after Hunk’s constant companionship after Katie’s rejection. Because he’d already let himself go. Becoming friends with Lance, Hunk, and Katie affected him so strongly he took that friendship for granted, not realizing it traced back farther than he could comprehend. He’d unknowingly latched onto them. Hunk had been right that Friday. _“Well, what about us? We’re there for you.”_

They _were_ there for him.

Even though he had been consciously aware of the fact that Pidge and Lance were in a relationship, and it had worried him, but…..nothing dismal happened. Nothing out of the ordinary. At first, he had interacted with the two while adapting an air of frostiness, but he adjusted to the idea in about a month (and found it easier to deal with because Katie and Lance were purposely keeping romantic interactions under wraps whenever the four of them hung out), and soon it seemed as though everything had resumed its normalcy, relations were platonic between them, and nothing had changed.

Well, almost nothing.

“You should have let me help,” Lance continued. “A few tweaks and we’d have a nice batch of scones –"

“They’re muffins, Lance.”

“-nice batch of muffins, thanks to me,” the Cuban boy finished.

Keith scoffed.

“Something you’d like to say, Mullet? How about _you_ help with these? Because I’m sure you’d keep the house burn-free,” Lance quipped.

Keith glared and quietly snuck out his phone, texting Katie, even though she was across the room. (He’d finally gotten her number.)

 _Keith: Toss me the pillow_.

Katie looked at her phone, then at the couch pillow next to her. She glanced at Keith quizzically, who jerked his head at Lance. Katie caught on and smirked.

They still had those moments.

She grabbed the pillow and threw it to Keith, who promptly brought it down on Lance’s head. Hard.

“ _Ouch_! What the- Keith!”

“That’s what you get for insulting my cooking, which is _much_ better than yours.”

“Oh, really?”

“If you bothered to listen to Hunk – hey!”

For Lance had scooped up a chunk of sticky dough from the bowl, disregarding Hunk’s spluttering protests, and flung it onto Keith’s jacket. Keith spared it one glance before snatching another glob from the bowl and smearing it onto Lance’s shirt.

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Oh, it is on, Keith!”

It wasn’t long before the two were engaged in a food fight, the muffin batter completely disregarded as it was flung to all four corners of the kitchen. Hunk tried to desist their scuffling, but ended up joining in. Katie looked at the three, dumbfounded. Why was she friends with these guys again?

Oh, right.

Because they reminded her how to have _fun_.

They helped her pull away from her studious outlook and learn to let loose.

So she jumped right in, snatching a pile of goo and hurled it onto Lance’s hair.

“Ack! _Pidge!_ ” Lance retaliated with a large mass of dough spattering her jacket. Soon the four juniors, kitchen floors, walls, and even the ceiling was a mess.

Which wasn’t an ideal situation to be in when Matt walked entered the house along with Shiro, unbeknown to everyone else, and walked into the kitchen to find dough dripping off walls, puddling the floor, and his little sister covered in goo while both her hands were in the act of mushing the deformed batter onto the faces of Keith and Lance.

And of course, Katie had previously set her phone to start blaring _Hollaback Girl_ at a set time – which happened to be two seconds after Matt found them.

Keith’s eyes darted around, taking in the scene before chaos reigned, and _also_ realized that Katie was definitely right about one thing.

They _were_ a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also this happened to be a reeaalllly long chapter.  
> the kidge one is almost the same.  
> again, I promise to have the kidge one by Thursday!  
> I HAVE A CONFESSION: the kidge one is turning out better.  
> BTW Matt is unaware of his sister's relationship. He thinks she just called things off. Matt, you are out of the loop here. ;))


	17. 15. In The End, It's All of Us (kidge ending)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay. A few things:  
> For all the amazing kidgeons (yes, I'm calling you kidge shippers - and myself - kidgeons), here is the long-awaited end!!  
> MORE THAN 100 KUDOS AND CLOSE TO 2000 HITS!!!! I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!  
> see end for more notes

Keith’s motorcycle may have had a loud engine, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out his thoughts that morning as he pulled the vehicle into the school parking lot. He didn’t want to go to school. He wanted to ditch the place and preferably never face it again. But the last time he’d skipped out, Shiro had made him promise not to ‘play hooky’ again.

And he couldn’t break a promise given by Shiro.

He resolved to never open up again. Never. He should have been more careful in distancing himself away from his friends, because now he couldn’t fight his feelings anymore.

However hard he tried.

Half-skidding into the parking lot, he carelessly parked his motorcycle and stomped into the building, along with the rest of the tardy stragglers who’d managed to arrive late as well. No one approached him, and he made his way to his homeroom without unwanted intervention. Unfortunately, school wasn’t pressing enough to distract him from thinking…..about Katie.

Her eyes, her knowledge, her wit, her obstinacy, her cute, crooked smile…….and her visage last Friday…….and when he’d seen her get intimate with Lance………

He slammed his fist on the table, calling attention to himself. _Damnit, Keith! Stop thinking about that night! Stop thinking about_ her!

“Mr. Kogane, what is it?” his teacher asked, scowling. Obviously he didn’t appreciate interruptions in his class.

“Nothing,” Keith muttered. “I just……saw a bug.”

As the class’s attention span was reclaimed by the teacher, Keith’s shoulders slumped. He suddenly felt empty, and tried to summon back that rage he’d been experiencing, but it had ebbed and faded away into sadness and hurt. _Look at yourself. You’ll never be good enough for her. Lance matches her perfectly, with his liveliness, humor, and sociable levels. Allura’s party only cemented that proof. Maybe they’re dating already._

Right, he knew that wasn’t true, but it still felt that way. He couldn’t shake the burdensome feeling pressing into his shoulders as class ended. The feeling of his gut twisting and warping, and how his footsteps seemed to have a dull echo to them. The feeling of giving up. Hopelessness.

                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie had been scuffing her toes along the floor during her homeroom, trying not to look at Lance, because every time she glanced over at him she felt a small pang of guilt.

Small, but palpable.

As the bell rang and students began to exit the room, Katie maneuvered through the swarm of students and tugged gently at Lance’s jacket. “Lance. I need to talk to you.” Strangely, her fingers didn’t tingle as much as she thought they used to after they made contact.

“Um…you do?” said Lance, slightly startled. Hunk looked between the two, then cleared his throat. “Uh, Pidge, I’ll be in English. Make sure you’re not late?” he said, unsure of how to address the situation. He departed, leaving the two to talk.

Lance was watching her, obviously confused, but she could detect a glimmer of sadness in his eyes. She didn’t like it when Lance was gloomy, but her sympathy had been aroused much stronger when she’d happened to glance out the window during class and seen Keith dismount from his motorcycle. Shoulders hunched, head down, and angry footsteps. Anger that she was sure had a hidden agony to it. Because if there was one thing she knew about Keith, it was that the angrier his behavior was, the more resilient was the pain behind it. _When Keith collapses, the world burns_. Sometimes she felt that although the opposite seemed true, Lance had more durability than Keith. Everything he’d ever told her gave the impression that he’d been suffering through most of his life…….and she didn’t want to make him replay the cycle all over again on her account.

She gulped. _Now or never, Katie. Clear this up……and end it_. “Okay. Lance, during Allura’s party…..what…..um……what exactly were you, ah……..were you….did you…..do you…..” _Focus, Katie, you sound stupid._ “Doyouhaveacrushonme?” she burst out in a rush of words, forcing herself to meet Lance’s eyes.

His face was turning red as he returned her gaze. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

 _He does_. But the answer wasn’t surprising to Katie, because she’d suspected it ever since last week. Keith, on the other hand………it was too difficult to figure out behind his inexpressive façade. If he didn’t feel for her as strongly as she felt for him, what would she do? Go chasing after Lance, to relieve her sorrow? Would that even be fair to him? To her?

 _Not the time, Katie. Focus. Lance first_. “Lance…..I…..I have to apologize.”

“For what?” Lance asked, even though he was dreading her answer.

“For – for leading you on.”

“So you’ve been toying with me?” Lance’s face darkened slightly.

“No!” Katie cried frantically, holding up her hands. “I haven’t been toying with you! I’d never do that! I just – I realized over the weekend that……I can’t…….I can’t start something with you, because – I have…..stronger feelings…….for someone else.”

“It’s Keith, isn’t it.” Dreading something was an awful sensation, but undergoing the bitter moment of truth? That was in a class all on its own.

Katie groaned. _This is one of the worst moments of my life_. “Lance, you and Keith – it’s as though you’ve been locked in a stalemate inside my head, and I’ve been forced to make a decision.”

“So now you’re dating Keith?”

“No.”

“But you just said –”

“I know what I said, but I can’t do anything unless….unless you two repair your friendship.” She saw his eyebrows furrow. “Because to me, it’s not worth having only a boyfriend. What the four of us have been through – I feel like it’s irreplaceable. For a person who’s only managed to make a couple of friends, I feel like they’re more precious than being the most popular person at school. We’re not just friends……we’re a _family_.” She said the last few words quietly, pressing her lips together.

Lance knew from experience that 99.9% of the time, Pidge happened to be right about whatever data or facts she was spouting on a daily basis. Which was why he trusted her results completely. And, once again, she was right. He obviously treasured every moment with Hunk, and even Keith (though he’d never divulge it to his face) was a really close friend, no matter how much they argued. But….sometimes he craved more than Pidge’s friendship.

Seemingly it wouldn’t happen.

He exhaled slowly and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Okay. I’ll talk to Keith. But he owes me an apology too!” he grumbled.

Katie smiled. “Thanks, Lance.”

_She’s totally worth it._

Before she could say anything else, however, her phone vibrated, and she took it out to read a text from Hunk.

_Hunk: teachers gonna mark u late where r u?_

“I’ve gotta go, I’ll be late for English,” Katie said, shoving her phone in her bag, obviously grateful for the diversion.

“Oh. Right. I’m going to be late too,” Lance said, trying to clear his head.

“Fashionably late,” Katie joked.

Lance chuckled, trying to act carefree, but his stomach still twisted uncomfortably.

The morning classes melted into a haze, and soon lunchtime had descended upon them extremely quickly. Katie tightly clasped her packed lunch in front of her and scanned the room, her gaze settling on Keith. He was sitting by himself in a corner table, and she was forcibly reminded of her first day of school, when she’d spilled milk onto his lap.

 _And started this whole mess_ ….

Katie nudged Hunk, who had come up behind her, and whispered something to him. The big guy nodded, then she saw him make his way over to Keith, eventually sitting at his table and talking to him. Katie then turned around to find Lance, and dragged _him_ towards Keith’s table.

As soon as the two had taken a seat at the table, Katie sliding next to Keith and Lance sliding in across him, Keith’s face hardened and he stared down at his food. Otherwise, he barely acknowledged their arrival. He was doing his best not to look at the small woman sitting next to him, talking eagerly to Hunk, a gleaming look in her eyes. _Just eat, Keith_.

Suddenly he felt a kick on his ankle. _Lance, I’m going to kill you._ “ _What?!_ ” he mouthed furiously. Lance jabbed his finger towards the corner of the lunchroom, but Keith didn’t understand. Lance finally gave up, stood, and beckoned for Keith to follow him (which, thankfully, he did understand). They headed towards a more remote area of the cafeteria, and once they were near the wall, Lance leaned against it and mumbled one word: “Sorry.”

“What for?” Keith muttered.

Lance sighed. _It’s for Pidge. Pidge wanted you to do this_. “I’m sorry for insulting you that night at Allura’s,” he elaborated. “I was angry, and I didn’t mean it.”

“Okay. It doesn’t matter now.” Lance squinted at him. “And, um, I’m also…..sorry for calling you pathetic that night.”

“Sure, man. So….are we good now?” Lance asked, holding out his hand. Keith looked at it for a moment, then he grasped it and they shook on it. “Yeah, we’re good.”

They made their way back to the table, where Hunk had stolen Keith’s food tray and was making little piles with his utensils.

“Hunk, what are you doing?”

“I’m surprised at you. How have you been _eating_ this stuff?”

“It’s not that bad,” Keith countered, but Hunk only handed back the tray after a thorough refinement.

             “Hunk, I can’t survive on this. You haven’t left me any real food to eat.”

“You would have survived for a shorter time if you had eaten _everything_ on here.”

“Keith’s immune system is strong enough for anything,” Lance shrugged. “He could eat a _brick_ and survive.”

            Keith was feeling a little fresher after cleansing the hostile air between him and Lance. “At least I can manage to eat a brick, or whatever you’re claiming. _You_ , on the other hand, probably won’t be able to hold down your alcohol when we grow up.”

“Hey! Wait, when we grow up? I bet I can hold down my alcohol now!”

The two started to banter again, and Katie felt her stiff muscles loosen up, as she and Hunk watched the encounter play out, while interrupting every so often to emphasize a point. She was feeling quite content with the fact that the four were now solid friends again.

Now all she had to do was stay on this path of success, and she’d be fine.

Their friendship may have been re-formed, but it was still teetering unsteadily. At the end of the day, Lance unlocked his bicycle from the rack and happened to catch a glimpse of Katie nervously fidgeting next to him. Trying to ease her nerves, he asked, “Want to grab a bite at Altea Café?”

“Not now, Lance,” Katie refused. Lance followed her line of sight and saw Keith striding to his motorcycle. _Right_.

“Okay,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Well, uh….see you tomorrow.” He turned away from her and started to wheel his bike away from the parking lot, but someone stopped him.

Hunk. “Hey, man,” he said quietly. “Want to come over? I’ll whip up a good meal for you, something more filling than whatever’s at the café. We can chill for a bit.”

“That – would be great, Hunk,” Lance said, managing a weak smile. He managed to heave his bike into the trunk of Hunk’s car, and the two pulled out of the parking lot, leaving their other friends to talk to each other.

As they were passing Altea café, Lance suddenly yelled, “Wait! Stop, stop, stop!”

Hunk jerked the car to a stop, yanking the two against their seatbelts. “What?!”

“Sorry. I – just wanted to grab a drink.” Lance gestured at the café.

“Jeez, that’s it? Don’t scare me like that, Lance.” As the lanky boy hopped out of the car, Hunk watched him apprehensively. He wasn’t sure how hard his friend was taking Pidge’s rejection. It was quite obvious from today’s events that she had turned him down.

Lance stepped inside, the little bell jangling merrily, and he went over to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate. As he took it to the door, intending to drink it in Hunk’s car, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Allura stood there, looking at him with a worried expression. “Lance, are you alright?”

“Peachy,” Lance said, attempting a smile. But Allura gave him a meaningful look, and suddenly he realized that she knew. “Wait…..”

“Erm……let’s sit down for a bit, shall we?” Allura said a little sheepishly.

Lance frowned, but followed Allura to a table near the back. They sat down, and she leaned forward, hands clasped in front of her. “How are you taking this?”

“I’m sorry, did you somehow convince Pidge to turn me down?” Lance demanded.

“No,” said Allura quickly. “Well – I talked to her and…helped her make a decision. I promise, I didn’t pressure her into doing anything. Every choice she made was of her own accord.”

“I guess that makes it worse,” said Lance, hanging his head. “So I really _wasn’t_ good enough for her.”

“ _Lance_.” Allura had grabbed his hands resting on the table with her own. “Don’t say that. Don’t _ever_ say that. Her decision has nothing to do with your personality, and you shouldn’t let that affect you.”

Lance looked down at her slim hands clutching his own. “Yeah, but now…..I mean, Hunk’s got Shay, and now Keith and Pidge…..maybe I’m just never destined to have a _significant other_.”

“Lance, that’s not true. I know that someday soon you’ll find a woman – or man – who is going to be absolutely captivated by you, and this time, _they’ll_ be the one chasing after you.”

“I don’t _chase after_ girls,” Lance objected. Allura raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly there was a short beep from outside, and both looked towards the door. Evidently Lance had forgotten about Hunk. “Darn. I’ve gotta go, and now _Hunk’s_ annoyed with me.” For some reason his hands were tingling. He looked down and saw Allura absentmindedly rubbing small circles with her thumb on the back of one hand. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped and blushed. “Oh! I’m sorry, Lance.” She released his hands. “Er…..yes, you should catch up with Hunk.”

Lance stood up, but before he left, he gave her a sincere smile and said, “Thanks, Allura.” The young woman, who had never seen him smile genuinely before, was a little too surprised by the radiance to say thank you. Nor did she notice the pale pink color dusting her cheeks.

Lance hopped back into the car, and Hunk said, “You were _grabbing a drink_ , not _having a_ _conversation with Allura_.”

“Sorry,” Lance apologized. “She just wanted to…..ask me something. Anyways, do you have that chili seasoning at your house like you did last time? That makes the _best_ tacos.”

Hunk sighed. “Because it’s for you, I’ll make _one stop_. But you’re waiting in the car this time.”

                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keith unhooked his helmet from the motorcycle and placed it on his head. So he’d have to feel that pain in his gut every day, then. The pain of reaching out – and being pushed away. Maybe he should quit school. Drop out, and get a job. At least it would help Shiro with taxes. Yeah. He was close enough to 18, people would hire him, wouldn’t they? He swung one leg over his motorcycle –

“Keith.”

 _You can’t be serious_.

Katie was standing behind him, squeezing the straps of her backpack. She was holding her head high in that defiant way she had, and – had she gotten taller?

“I – I need to ask you something.”

“Okay, but make it quick.”

“Are you in a rush?”

“N- Yeah.”

“Okay.” Katie looked down for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. She was trying not to let the thought of rejection cross over into her mind, or else she’d never say anything. Fear would tie her mouth shut and bury her feelings beneath her. How was it so much easier to tell these things to Lance? “What happened to you last Friday night?” _Wait….was that even the question?_

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, even though he knew exactly what she meant _. She’s about to call me out on interrupting her and yelling at her boyfriend_. Her boyfriend. Referring to Lance as that made him wilt. Thankfully his helmet was covering his face.

“Um, I mean, uh, why were you mad at Lance? He didn’t – he wasn’t exactly – doing anything wrong, and – I don’t think you had a right to blow up at him, but –”

 _Lance wasn’t doing anything wrong. First his reprimand, now this. It was my fault. I let this happen to myself. Don’t feel. Don’t feel don’t feel_ – Keith snapped. Before Katie could continue, he yanked off his helmet and threw it onto the ground, cracking the visor. “Okay! You’re right! I blew up at him because I was angry! Because I was _jealous_!” he yelled. “I’m in love with you, Katie, and seeing you with Lance that night made me want to rip him away from you! You’re the most incredible girl I’ve ever met, and I tried _so hard_ not to fall for you, but you made it impossible! I know you’re in a relationship with Lance now, and Friday was proof enough! And now I’ve got to deal with my heart being torn in two _again_ , so just – leave me alone, okay?! I don’t – I can’t talk to you right now.” He turned away from her, snatched his helmet from the ground, attached it to his motorcycle again, (because now it was useless) and proceeded to leave.

Katie was stunned into petrification, trying to process everything he said. Before she could get a firm grip on the meaning, her brain screamed at her, _He’s going! Stop him!_

_Leave it……You’ll make a bigger mess._

_No, I won’t! It was my mess, so I’m responsible for it!_

Determination flashed in Katie’s eyes, and she grabbed Keith’s arm and _wrenched_ him off of his motorcycle. She saw shock register on his face before seizing his jacket in her fists and pulling him down to her height, staring into his violet eyes. “ _You_ listen to _me_ , Keith Kogane! I came to talk to you for a reason, and you’re not going anywhere until I’ve said my piece! I’m in love with you too, you dolt! Whatever I felt for Lance has been rivaled by the feelings I have for you! You – you’re strong, aggressive, and headstrong, but you’ve always been friends with us! You’ve always cared about us – you’ve always cared about me –” Katie’s voice cracked slightly, and she swallowed back tears, then pushed on, in a slightly quieter voice. “I know you’ve been hurt before, and that you’ve suffered, but don’t you understand? Hunk, Lance, myself – we’re always going to be there for you……I’m always going to be there for you.” Before she could stop herself, she gently kissed him, then pulled away. Now she could definitely feel tears leaking out of her eyes. He looked at her, astonished. _Oh, crap. What did I do? Was I moving too fast? I’m embarrassing myself. Did –_

But before she could continue her thoughts, Keith wrapped his arms around her, sliding a hand behind her head and pulling her face to his, kissing her passionately. As though he’d been yearning to for the longest time. She folded her arms around his neck, and felt his hand swipe away the tears on her face. She could have sworn, though, that he was also crying, but when they separated, there were no traces of tears on his face. They looked at each other, silent, until she grinned, which made Keith smile.

The most marvelous sensation to ever witness on his face.

It made her want to kiss him again. “So….is this official?” _Wow, Katie, you can’t come up with anything better to say? Way to ruin a moment._

“If you want it to be,” Keith said, still beaming.

“Stop smiling, or else I’ll kiss you again.”

“Be my guest, Katie.”

Hearing her real name coming from him sent thrills up her spine.

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s not right,” Hunk muttered, poking the bowl’s substances with his spoon. “It shouldn’t be firm, it should be fluid.”

“What’s not right?” asked Keith. “You followed the instructions exactly, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but this isn’t his house. Therefore, not his ingredients, therefore, the results won’t be the same,” Lance added, peering closely at the lumpy dough in the mixing bowl.

The three were at Katie’s house. Two months had passed since Allura’s birthday, and winter break found them relaxing at the Holts’ residence one chilly afternoon.

Katie was sitting on the couch, watching the boys argue as they tried to cook. Her hair was growing out nicely, almost to its previous length. _This isn’t going anywhere,_ she thought.

Lance was finding it hard to concentrate. Katie and Keith in a relationship had been a pretty hard blow, but it was getting easier to deal with (especially since they didn’t act all lovey-dovey around him). For some reason, his form of withdrawal had been dealt with by going to Altea café almost every other day and talking to Allura, while ordering a different drink each time. And for some other reason, bright blue eyes had been replacing gold ones in his dreams lately. He tried to focus. “You should have let me help. A few tweaks and we’d have a nice batch of scones –"

“They’re muffins, Lance.”

“-nice batch of muffins, thanks to me,” the Cuban boy finished.

Keith scoffed.

“Something you’d like to say, Mullet? How about _you_ help with these? Because I’m sure you’d keep the house burn-free,” Lance quipped.

Keith glared and quietly snuck out his phone, texting his girlfriend, even though she was across the room. (He’d finally gotten her number.)

 _Keith: Toss me the pillow_.

Katie looked at her phone, then at the couch pillow next to her. She glanced at Keith quizzically, who jerked his head at Lance. Katie caught on and smirked.

Yeah, he was _definitely_ not dropping out of school.

Katie grabbed the pillow and threw it to Keith, who promptly brought it down on Lance’s head. Hard.

“ _Ouch_! What the- Keith!”

“That’s what you get for insulting my cooking, which is _much_ better than yours.”

Lance looked at the couch, confused as to how Keith got the pillow – then he saw Pidge smirking. He glared at her, and she gave a sarcastic wave. Her hair was growing out nicely, almost to its previous length.

“Oh, really?”

“If you bothered to listen to Hunk – hey!”

For Lance had scooped up a chunk of sticky dough from the bowl, disregarding Hunk’s spluttering protests, and flung it onto Keith’s jacket. Keith spared it one glance before snatching another glob from the bowl and smearing it onto Lance’s shirt.

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Oh, it is on, Keith!”

It wasn’t long before the two were engaged in a food fight, the muffin batter completely disregarded as it was flung to all four corners of the kitchen. Hunk tried to desist their scuffling, but ended up joining in. Katie looked at the three, dumbfounded. Why was she friends with these guys again?

Oh, right.

Because they reminded her how to have _fun_.

They helped her pull away from her studious outlook and learn to let loose.

So she jumped right in, snatching a pile of goo and hurled it onto Lance’s hair.

“Ack! _Pidge!_ ” Lance retaliated with a large mass of dough spattering her jacket. Soon the four juniors, kitchen floors, walls, and even the ceiling was a mess.

Which wasn’t an ideal situation to be in when Matt entered the house along with Shiro, unbeknown to everyone else, and walked into the kitchen to find dough dripping off walls, puddling the floor, and his little sister covered in goo while both her hands were in the act of mushing the deformed batter onto the faces of Keith and Lance.

And of course, Katie had previously set her phone to start blaring _Hollaback Girl_ at a set time – which happened to be two seconds after Matt found them.

Lance quickly assessed the situation, realizing how much like a family they were, and tried to say something casual. “They’re muffins, not scones.”

And Katie internally groaned and laughed at the same time.

She loved these dorks.

Best. Day. Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I like cotton candy?  
> WOW, it's finally done!!! I had so much fun writing this, and didn't expect it to turn out this way! I've already started planning my next two fics, hopefully much shorter than this. they're called Crash Course in Love (plance) and You Have the Right to Remain Smitten (kidge). Keep an eye out for them!  
> Also, 8 days until s4!  
> Did you guys all like this fic????

**Author's Note:**

> ANAGRAM FOUND! I remember saying that I hoped to make this a one-shot. So much for that.  
> KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR MY UPCOMING FICS: Crash Course in Love (plance) and You Have the Right to Remain Smitten (kidge)


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